Pulp Fantastic

Credits Writing: Chris Halliday, Christopher Helton, Jonathan Nichols and Jonathan M. Thompson Additional Development: John Snead, DM Elliot, Anna Dobritt, Stephen J. Miller, Ramsey Lundock, Neale Davidson, José Porfírio, Timothy Brannon, Eric Pavlat, J. Thomas Pavlat and Luke Green Proofreading: T. R. Knight Graphic Design, Typography and Digitial Pre-Press: Richard Iorio II Playtesters: Jonathan M. Thompson, Adam R. Thompson, Terrece Thompson, Clay Weeks, Christopher Helton, Ramsey Lundock, Mark Vorwerk and José Porfírio Cover Art: Robert Hack Nemo Diary by Shawn Hilton

Pulp Fantastic Copyright © 2015 Christopher Helton and Jonathan M. Thompson. Pulp Fantastic is published by Battlefield Press, Inc., PO Box 861 Ringgold, Louisiana 71068 First printing. ISBN 0-9721419-8-7. Game system based on Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space, DESIGNED AND WRITTEN by David F. Chapman. Copyright © 2009 by Cubicle 7. Fantastic Universe, Pulp Fantastic, Fantastic World, Steel and Swords, Savage Adventures and Mystic East are all Trademarks of Christopher Helton and Jonathan M. Thompson. All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be duplicated without permission of the publisher or the copyright holder. Errata and other feedback can be sent to [email protected]. Attention: The bearer of this PDF has the permission of the publisher and the copyright owners to have one (1) copy printed for personal use via any commercial printer. If you are a clerk in a copy print center and you are reading this notices please do not treat our customers or yours as if they were a criminal — print this file. We are allowing it and you should also.

FA N TA S T I C

Introduction What is Pulp Fantastic? What’s a Role-playing Game? The Basics How To Use This Book Playing the Game PULP! Chapter 1 Characters Attributes Skills Traits Story Points Rules A Note On Dice Setting Example of Play Chapter 2 Creating a Group The Premise Who are the Characters? Who’s the Supporting Cast? What Resources Do You Have? Who Opposes You? Connect It All Up Creating your Character Attributes The Six Attributes Awareness Coordination Ingenuity Presence Resolve Strength Skills Areas of Expertise Trappings Assigning Skill Points Skills List Animal Handling Athletics Convince Craft

11 11 12 12 12 12 13 27 27 27 27 27 28 28 28 29 29 33 33 33 33 35 35 35 36 36 36 36 36 37 37 37 37 37 38 38 38 38 39 39 39 40 40

Fighting Knowledge Marksman Medicine Science Subterfuge Survival Technology Transport Traits Affecting your Character Buying Traits Traits List List of Traits in order Good Traits Bad Traits Special Traits Psychic Traits Creature Traits Good Traits Bad Traits Special Traits Psychic Traits Story Points Finishing Touches Name Background Connections Appearance Equipment Personal Goals Groups & Bases Story Point Traits Good Group Traits Bad Group Traits Chapter 3 The Colonial World Travel in the Colonies Regions of the Era The United States England and Europe North America South and Central America

40 40 40 42 42 42 42 42 43 43 43 43 44 44 44 44 45 45 45 46 52 57 59 62 62 62 62 62 62 62 62 62 63 63 65 67 67 67 67 67 68 73 74

Africa Asia Australia Antarctica Chapter 4 Interesting Times The Great War The Roaring 20’s Timeline 1901 – 1939 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939

76 78 81 81 83 83 83 83 84 84 84 85 85 85 85 85

Chapter 5 Division 4 French Foreign Legion Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn The Invisible College Knights of the Round Table MI7 The Air Cavalry Pinkerton Detective Agency Scotland Yard International Criminal Police Organization Red Headed League The Tong of the Black Scorpion The Tsang-Chan The Mafia

99 99 100 100 100 101 102 103 103 104 105 105 106 106 106 107

86 86 86 86 87 87 87 88 88 88 88 89 89 89 89 89 89 90 90 90 91 91 92 92 94 94 94 95 95 96 96

The Nazis The Gestapo The SS The Ahnenerbe The Mara Brotherhood Chapter 6 Why Roleplay? Why Use Rules? Rules are meant to be broken Don’t Cheat Creating Your Character Playing Your Character Advanced Techniques Research & Investigation Action Working as a group Character Plots Downtime Conspiracies Chapter 7 The Basic Rule Unskilled Attempts How a roll works Intent Difficulty How well have you done? Cooperation Taking Time Contested Rolls Complications Multiple Opponents Combat & Extended Conflicts

108 110 110 111 111 113 113 113 113 113 114 114 114 114 115 115 115 115 116 117 117 118 118 118 119 120 120 121 122 122 122 123

Intent Action Phases Exceptions Characters roll and perform their actions Reactions - Resisting the roll Ongoing Reactions Combat Complications Getting Hit Chases Terrain Pursuit! Combat in Chases Doing Something Crazy Cooperating in a Chase Losing a Physical Conflict: Getting Hurt Levels of Injury

123 123 123 123 123 124 124 126 126 127 127 127 127 127 128 128

Skills Traits Story Points Leaving the Game Getting Killed Forced to Leave Choosing to Leave Chapter 8 Trappings vs Group Traits Obtaining Equipment General Equipment Equipment That’s Not Listed You Have It Until You Need It… Improvising Equipment Weapons Guns

138 138 138 138 138 138 138 139 139 139 139 140 140 140 141 141

Fighting Damage Marksman Damage Other Sources of Injury Mental or Social Conflicts Bluffing & Deception Arguments Getting scared Losing a Mental or Social Conflict Loss of Attributes Temporary Bad Trait Forced To Comply Healing Natural Healing Medic! Multiple Injuries and Reduced Attributes Story Points Clues Bonus Dice Avoiding Failure Ignore Damage Ignoring Bad Traits Inspiring Others Altering the Plot Gaining Story Points Good Role-playing Embracing Bad Traits Completing Goals Accepting Plot Twists Helping Out Maximum Story Points Learning and Improvement Attributes

129 129 130 133 133 133 133 134 134 134 134 134 134 134 134 135 136 136 136 136 136 136 136 137 137 137 137 137 137 137 137 138

Pistols 141 Shotguns and Rifles 143 Machine guns 143 Sub-machine Guns 144 Beam Weapons 144 Sniper Rifles 144 Telescopic Sight 145 Other Ranged Weapons 145 Melee Weapons 146 Explosives 146 Armor 147 Lifestyle 148 Vehicles 149 Attributes 149 Traits 149 Sample Vehicles 149 Motorcycles 149 Cars 150 Military Vehicles 150 Airplanes 150 Zeppelins 152 Technology Levels 152 TL 1: Stone Age 152 TL 2: Bronze/Iron Age – Middle Ages 152 TL 3: Age of Reason 153 TL 4: Industrial Age 153 TL 5: Space Faring/Information Age 153 TL 6: Star Faring Age 154 Purchasing Items of Lower or Higher Technology Level 154 Chapter 9 155 Owning a Invention 155

Creating Inventions Behold! I call it the… Building Inventions Invention Traits Augment Bulky Control Convert Delete Detect Disable Feedback Force-field Fragile Hungry Innocuous One Shot Open/Close Restriction Scan Simple Controls Simple Mechanism Slow Transmit Travel Unreliable Weld Zap Invention Story Points Some Example Inventions Gas Gun Hypno-Disc Rocket Pack Sub-Etheric Electrosender Chapter 10 Storyteller Director Referee What do you need to play? Basic Gamemastering Taking Charge Be Prepared! Make The Players Do The Work Relax & Have Fun Hints & Tips Rules & When To Bend Them Death is not the end… What To Do When Players Are Absent

156 156 156 157 157 157 158 158 158 158 158 158 158 158 158 159

Bringing the Game to Life Playing Non-Player Characters Atmosphere Experience and Gain The Gamesmaster Is Always Right Players Chapter 11 Building a Better Villain Motive The Patriot The Thrill-Seeker The Quester The Empire-Builder The Glory Hunter Just Plain Bad Villain Archetypes

167 168 168 168 169 169 171 171 171 171 171 171 172 172 172 172

159 159 159 159 159 159 159 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 160 161 163 163 163 163 164 164 164 165 165 165 165 165 166 167

The Foreign Mastermind Siwang Lung – The Death Dragon The Mad Scientist Doktor Todeskopf Radium Man The Cult Leader The Black Lama The Anti-Villain The Pulp Nazi The Corrupt Corporate Rex Monday The Dragon Lady Du Kai Hua – Poison Blossom The Baroness Baroness Veronique Devereaux The Masked Terror The Crimson Claw The Master Spy The Great Dictator General Vladic Kazan, Premier of Berezkia The Mob Boss Bruno Sposato The Man-Made Monster Die Schreck The Mangler The Hoxton Creeper Chapter 12 Creature Rules Size Speed Creature Skills Athletics

172 173 175 176 178 178 178 180 180 181 181 183 183 183 183 184 184 185 186 186 187 187 188 189 190 190 193 193 193 194 194 194

Fighting Marksman Subterfuge Survival Creature Creation Traits Additional Limbs* Aggressive Amphibious Armor Aquatic Bite Burrowing Claw Constrict Climbing Enhanced Senses Environmental Fast-Moving Fear Factor* Flight Frenzy Grab Immaterial Immortal Immunity* Infection Invisible Leap Lurker Natural Weapons Networked Nocturnal Passive Poison Possess Replication Savage Roar Screamer! Shapeshift Slow-Moving Snap Special Stalker Stinger Stomp Strange Appearance Teleport

194 194 194 194 195 195 196 196 196 196 196 196 196 197 197 197 197 197 197 197 198 198 198 198 198 199 199 199 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 201 201 201 202 202 202 202 202 202 202 202 203 203

Trample Warning Chapter 13 Animals Alligator Bat Bear Big Cat Bird, Large Boar (Wild Pig) Chimpanzee Gorilla Monitor Lizard Octopus Rat Scorpion Shark Snake, Constrictor Snake, Venomous Wolf Cryptids Ape, Giant Ape Man Kraken Stinging Bell Plant Mongolian Death Worm Spider, Giant Spider, Monstrous Vampire Bat, Giant White Ape Yeti Meh-Teh Migoi Fantastic Creatures Eldritch Abomination Minor Eldritch Abomination Martian Martian War Machine Undead Mummy Skeleton Vampire New Vampire Master Vampire Werewolf Zombie The Enslaved Dead The Hungry Dead

203 203 205 205 205 206 206 206 206 207 207 207 207 208 208 208 209 209 209 209 210 210 210 210 211 212 212 213 213 214 214 214 215 215 215 216 217 218 218 218 219 219 219 220 220 221 221 222

Dinosaurs Pterosaur Raptor Tyrannosaur Chapter 14 The Black Tie Affair Robin and His Unmerry Men Merry Men Robin Hood Aftermath Lady Lilliamont Mr Haberdrant of 22 Arcadia Avenue Mr. Haberdrant Underground Auction Thug

222 222 223 224 225 225 225 226 226 226 227 227 227 228 228 229

Grease Monkey Gumshoe Jungle King Law Enforcer Mob Moll Martial Artist Masked Avenger Mystic Mystery Man News Hound Operator Personality Relic Hunter Rocket Man Science Hero Scientist

244 245 245 246 246 247 247 248 248 249 250 250 251 251 252 252

Light Lance Aftermath All Seeing Eye Bibliography References Movies and TV Comics The Genre The Pulp Magazines Reprints Crimefighting/Superhero Aviation/War Horror/Weird Menace Spy/Espionage Adventure/Exploration Detective Stories Science Fiction General Comtemporary Pulp The Era Places Appendix Academic Air Ace Big Game Hunter Brawler Escape Artist Explorer Femme Fatale Gangster Gentleman Crook G-Man

230 231 231 233 233 233 234 234 234 234 234 235 235 235 235 235 236 236 236 236 236 239 239 240 240 241 241 242 242 243 243 244

Sea Dog Soldier Weird Inventor

253 253 254

Introduction T

of millions of readers, the magazines provided a financial foothold for numerous writers who went on to create stories and books that are the great works that the pulps were (for the most part) not.

They are the technological knights who sweep from the tops of their gleaming high-technology towers with their wonders from the world of tomorrow. They are the shadowy avengers who step out of the darkness of back alleys to strike against the criminals who are choking their city. They are the garishly dressed masked mystery men who use the loudness of their anonymity to work against the forces of evil. They are the heroes of pulp fantastic.

Ray Bradbury, Max Brand, Jack London, Sinclair Lewis, Stephen Crane, H.P. Lovecraft, Walter Gibson, Lester Dent — the list of writers whose works appeared in the pulps is long. The list of styles and genres that flourished in those magazines is just as long, they promised fantastic fantasy and thrilling thrillers: from the whodunnit to the horror story, from the Wild West to the moons of Mars, the pulps helped establish science fiction and fantasy in the literary experience of the early 20th Century.

he characters in a pulp fantastic campaign are like the heroes from the pulp magazines of long ago. They let the Players be faster, stronger and smarter, in a by-gone era where truth and justice could change the world for the better, even if only on a smaller scale.

Back in the Pulp Era, the lines between those who were heroes and those who were villains were clearly demarcated in the stark contrast of black and white. The heroes were giants in their world, towering over even the colossal skyscrapers going up in the gleaming metropolis that they would safeguard. In the chapters that follow you will find the rules that are the backbone of character creation in pulp fantastic. But, these rules are only a part of the process of creating characters. Pulp heroes are stories, modern day mythologies that reflected the time period in which they were created, as well as amplifying that world. Those stories should be the most important element of the character creation process, and those stories should take precedence over the rules. The rules of character creation should help to simulate the stories of the character, stories yet to be told, not limit them.

The pulp publishers were in it, of course, for the money (some things never change). Fortunes flowed from the promises of the sensational and the sleazy. With literally hundreds of competitors on the news-stands, the publishers constantly searched for the type of story that would sell. And, in the 1930s, they struck gold with tales of modern knights battling evil —the tales that provided the fodder for pulp fantastic. The publishers could hardly help but notice that their largest-selling issues were ones featuring heroes — or villains — familiar to their audience, main characters developed in earlier editions. From that formula, it was a short alley-vault to continuing series based upon the daring exploits of a Pulp hero. And it is the exploits of the hero that pulp fantastic and almost all other rpgs are influenced by.

If at times pulp fantastic sounds too corny to be true, remember this: The pulp heroes that inspire this game were not life-sized characters when they were created in the 1930s, and the decades have done little to make them appear any more realistic. They were larger than life colossi who stood astride the mighty metropolitan cities in which they were based, while their adventures spanned the globe…and sometimes beneath the Earth’s surface or far into outer space. These mythic figures were never intended to reflect their contemporary world.

The first of these pulp heroes was The Shadow; the nemesis of the night, born from the runaway typewriter of Walter Gibson in the early 1930s. The pulp business was no more imaginative then than television or Hollywood is today; soon, a host of heroes was spawned to capitalize on the success of The Shadow, from The Spider and The Octopus to Doc Savage and countless others.

The pulp heroes were the last burst of those mass-produced, formula-fiction factories known as the pulp magazines. Born about the turn of the century, the pulps — they took their name from the inexpensive paper on which they originally were printed — were usually of suspect literary quality, but besides inflaming the imaginations

Well, that is an easy answer. It is an alternate history set during what was called the “pulp era,” or the period in history existing between the wars. This game is designed to emulate the adventure stories from that period, this also includes radio dramas and modern movies set in the period.

What is Pulp Fantastic?

SETUP

Pulp Fantastic

What’s a Role-playing Game?

How To Use This Book

You’re probably familiar with computer role-playing games, where you play a character in some fantasy setting. You wander around doing quests, levelling up, talking to other characters and getting new gear. Tabletop role-playing games are similar, but there’s one key difference. Instead of a computer running the game, there’s a human Gamemaster – and that changes everything.

The first part of this book (once you get past this introduction) is all about set-up – how to come up with a framework for your group, and how to roll up your individual characters. A framework explains why all your characters are working together, and what it is they’re trying to achieve as a group. Are they fearless explorers of the unknown, uncovering the secret history of mankind? Are they the agents of a reclusive millionaire, searching for the secret of eternal youth? Are they a band of bored war-buddies, putting their battle-forged skills to use promoting truth and justice? Are they relic hunters in the employ of a major university museum, braving untold dangers for fortune and glory? Or have they all lost loved ones to the machinations of a nefarious evil mastermind, and are bound together in the cause of justice by grief and a thirst for vengeance? There are some suggested group frameworks on page 36.

Instead of being limited to what the game allows you to do, you can do anything you can imagine. Let’s say you need to get past a guarded door. A computer game might only give you the option of fighting the guard or stealing a pass. In a tabletop game, you can try anything – maybe you can persuade the guard to let you past, or bribe him, or sneak through the sewers, or forge a fake pass, or even convince the guard that he should be on your side. The Gamemaster (or gm) describes the world, the players decide what they want to do, and then the gm decides whether or not they succeed.

The Basics

Firstly, you need a few friends to play the pulp fantastic rpg. One of you will be the Gamemaster, and the rest of you will be the players. The game works with as few as two people (one gm, one player), but it’s best with 3-5 players. (By the way, if you haven’t decided who’s going to be the gm, then the owner of the book should take on that responsibility.) Secondly, you’ll need to be familiar with the contents of this book. You don’t need to memorise the whole thing, but you should understand how the basic rules (chapter 7 – the basics) work, and how to make characters (chapter 2 – genesis). Thirdly, you’ll need a few dice (the normal, six-sided ones). When an outcome is in doubt, you’ll be rolling dice to see whether or not your character succeeds. Let’s say you want to scramble over a fence to escape the gang of thugs that’s on your heels. You’d add your character’s Coordination and Athletics scores together, and then roll two dice. If the total of the dice plus your Coordination and Athletics is higher than a difficulty number set by the gm, you make it over the fence in time. If you roll badly... well, looks like you’ve a fight on your hands, unless you spend a Story Point. Fourth, you’ll need a way to keep track of Story Points. Story points are a way for you to change a bad roll or alter the story in your favour. You’ll be getting – and spending – a lot of story points, so you’ll need a pile of tokens. Pennies, glass beads, jelly beans, cardboard chits, anything like that will do. Got all that? Good. Let’s get moving.

12

Next, there’s the rules section. This covers everything hazardous and nasty that your characters might come across – what happens when you try to shoot a gangster, what happens when the gangster tries to shoot you, sneaking around, investigating mysteries and gaining new skill and traits. The Gazeteer describes the world of pulp fantastic, and players are encouraged to read that to help immerse themselves in the Pulp Era. The Organizations section describes the various groups – both good and bad – your heroes might encounter. Finally, there’s the Gamemasters section and the Pulp Archetypes chapter. The former is full of advice and tips for running the game, suggestions for series outlines, along with a sample adventure to get you started, and the latter describes the many notable individuals the characters may encounter. Players are allowed to read everything apart from the gm’s section and the Pulp Archetypes chapter – if you spoil the secrets in there, the game might not be as much fun for you. Gamemasters, of course, can read the whole book.

Playing the Game

pulp fantastic is designed to be played in a series of game sessions. Each game session takes up an evening. Think of each game session as an episode of your own tv series. Most of the events in a game session will be mostly self-contained – you’ll fight the threat-of-the-week and deal with the problems surrounding the current crisis – but there will be plot elements and mysteries and conspiracies that continue from episode to episode. Keep the metaphor of the television series in mind as you play the game – it’s a good guide for both players and Gamemasters.

PULP! By Jonathan Nichols

T

new york city, 1937

he stake sank into the crumbled wall with a shunk and Veronica Pentecost sent the vampire back to Hell. As the last pockets of air wheezed out of the skeletal remains of the undead thing of the night, Veronica lit a cigarette and blew smoke into the fanged skull of her prey. Her client would be pleased. Satisfied with her victory, Veronica pulled her trench coat around herself and turned to exit the abandoned Brownstone. But before the detective could even reach the doorway, a most terrific upheaval of the earth occurred! Debris fell from the ceiling and came crashing to the floor. The walls buckled and began to give way as well. Veronica was going to be trapped in seconds! Or rather she would have been, had she not vaulted through the doorway and into the street. It was perhaps not the safest of moves, but a resident of New York seldom is taught earthquake safety. And indeed that is exactly what appeared to be happening that very day in the nation’s largest city: an earthquake. Asphalt streets were cracked and split open, building foundations had slouched and dozens wandered in the dust-filled air of the aftermath. As the tremors subsided, fire trucks and nypd arrived on the scene, eager to put out the blazes instigated by broken gas mains and fallen flammable materials. Residents turned out to help one another out from under the rubble and to rush those who were wounded to waiting ambulances. In still other pockets of the neighborhood, plumbing had ruptured, spewing forth water and lowering the water pressure to a dangerously low level, a hazardous development for the firemen. What could have caused such a disaster to occur in this part of the world? Veronica did not know, but as her wristwatch began to blink red, she knew that she would be on journey towards the answer soon. Hours later in the midtown Manhattan penthouse of millionaire philanthropist Sterling Westinghouse, Veronica Pentecost brought her sleek and silky form to what would otherwise be an all-boys club. And what a posh and expensive tree house that this boys club held their meetings in. Overlooking the city and out onto the Atlantic Ocean, the penthouse was furnished with every modern convenience conceivable (the largest

television set that Veronica had ever seen was placed in the lounge area near the bar. She thought momentarily that she might get to see “The Ed Sullivan Show,” but then realized that it most likely would not air due to the tragedy and the moderate damage sustained by the show’s studio theatre) as well as many a strange and ancient archeological relic. As was instinctive to the detective, Veronica automatically surveyed the penthouse in a flash, finding it full of the usual suspects: Dr. Washington “Wash” Stuttz, archeologist and worldwide adventurer. He was a man’s man if there ever was one. Perhaps that is why Veronica disliked him so. Chase Danner, former agent of the O.S.S. Although he was a skilled pilot and renowned man of action, Chase was yet to turn thirty and still had a brash and impulsive nature. Perhaps that was why Veronica was so drawn to him. Dr. Campbell Fleming, theoretical physicist and inventor. With a balding head surrounded by long, white wisps of hair, “The Doc” as he was known looked every bit the part of the prototypical mad scientist. Perhaps that is why he disturbed Veronica so. And finally there was Sterling Westinghouse, millionaire Wall Street man and philanthropist (how rare those two titles were seen together). Whenever the world was in danger, Westinghouse would call upon Veronica and the three men mentioned previously. Together, they would confront the threat and always they would emerge victorious. Perhaps that is what gave Veronica hope when all seemed lost. “Ms. Pentecost,” Sterling Westinghouse said as he approached her in one of his custom-tailored suits. He took Veronica’s hand and lightly kissed it. “We were worried. When you hadn’t arrived we feared you to be a casualty of the quake.” “As you might imagine, it’s nearly impossible to make it across the city right now,” Veronica explained. “I’ve had a late supper brought up and placed on the bar. If you’d care for any food or drink, please feel free.” “Rather get straight to work if you don’t mind,” Veronica said while taking a seat dangerously close to Chase. “Very well. Obviously, New York City has suffered a terrible natural disaster this day,” Sterling said, taking center stage as it were on a rise overlooking the lounge.

Pulp Fantastic “But how?” Wash protested. “The city isn’t anywhere near a fault line?”

SETUP

“Precisely, muchacho!” bellowed Dr. Fleming while his body quivered with nervous twitches and jerks of excitement. “Something is indeed rotten in the Big Apple and it’s not the garbage scows!” “It is beginning to look conspicuously as if this disaster was not natural in any respect. For as you might not be aware, Moscow, London, and Paris have all suffered similar fates this day. Someone is orchestrating these earthquakes and I have been authorized to put an end to them. Doctor?” With that, Doctor Fleming stood up and snorted. He then motioned for the others to follow him as he walked away from the lounge. They proceeded to follow him to an open area of the hardwood floor where some sort of mechanical device stood. It was replete with tubes, wires, coils, and components hitherto unseen before by anyone in the room save for Jonathan. Excitedly, Doctor Fleming rubbed his hands together and then flipped a switch. “Walla rutabaga!” the eccentric old man exclaimed as the electric device buzzed to life. “It’s a doozy, Doc,” Chase said with a whistle. “What is it?” “In the aftermath of today’s quake, inspiration struck me! I became host to a grand idea that I hope will one day take root in the rest of the scientific community as well. Behold my fantastic device! The siesmo-locater!” Dr. Fleming said, pressing another button and causing his device to utter a series of beeping noises. “Congratulations, Doc,” Wash grunted. “You’ve invented the seismograph…an instrument that’s been around for years.” “Oh no…” Dr. Fleming said with all seriousness. “This is far beyond any seismograph. It is meant to trace energy and force of an entirely different order.” “You were correct earlier, Dr. Stuttz,” Westinghouse interrupted. “Each of today’s catastrophic earthquakes occurred in proximity to no known geological fault lines. Therefore, they would have to be caused by a construct made by man that emanates powerful waves of force.” “Force that I have called ‘epsilon waves.’ And now for the first time, you are about to witness my device track these epsilon waves to their point of origin,” Dr. Fleming said excitedly. Without another word, his machine clicked and whirred and beeped in rapid succession. Within the center of the device was a globe of the world, a globe that turned slowly as a metal pointer dragged across the surface. “It’s moving…it’s moving…” Fleming said with bated breath, anxiously awaiting the discovery of the location. The metal needle drew a slow but deliberate line from New York City across the Atlantic Ocean, over the coast of North Africa, and finally came to rest in the center of the nation known as Egypt. 14

“I will telephone the airport and have your plane fuelled and furnished,” Westinghouse announced. “You will leave presently for the sands of Egypt.” “Hot dog!” Chase slapped his hands on the machine, causing no small amount of consternation from Fleming. “I’ve been achin’ something awful to get back into the skies, Daddy-O!” “Pack few personal effects, but make absolutely certain that you have your wrist communicators. Dr. Fleming and I will remain in constant contact with you,” ordered Westinghouse. “With you lies the hope of humanity, democracy, and most importantly…America itself! Godspeed!” Moments later, a C-47 lifted off from a municipal airport on Long Island. Chase Danner, one of the world’s top pilots, sat smiling in the captain’s seat as he nudged the plane higher and higher into the sky. But perhaps he would not have been smiling so had he seen the mysterious man in the gray suit who stood at the airport, watching their every move before going to make a phone call…a call uttered entirely in German. CAN OUR BAND OF HEROES LOCATE AND STOP THE SOURCE OF THESE EARTHQUAKES BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE?? AND WHAT OF THE MYSTERIOUS MAN IN GRAY FROM THE AIRPORT?

cairo, egypt The wailing of street vendors and beggars assaulted the eardrums of the three as they made their way through the marketplace. To Veronica Pentecost, the entire display felt dirty and untouchable as she continuously yanked her flowing robes away from grabbing hands. “Want to explain to me again why the hell I have to wear this again?” Veronica cursed from behind her veil. “Because doll, that’s how women are supposed to dress round these parts.” Washington Stuttz explained. “Me and Chase here just look like a couple of white men. But if the locals got a good look at your gams, we’d be in the soup for sure.” “How many times have you been here, Stuttz?” Veronica asked as she squeezed herself between denizens of the densely packed bazaar. “I’m an archeologist,” Wash said blithely. “Can’t really call yourself that until you’ve been on at least a couple of digs in Egypt, toots.” Veronica Pentecost took hold of Wash by the shoulder and spun him around to face her glare. “One day you’re going to call me ‘toots’ or ‘doll’…and the next words out of your mouth will be ‘my crotch! She stabbed me in my crotch!’” threatened Veronica. “That’s right,” Wash replied with a dirty smile. “I like ‘em rough!” Mercifully, Chase arrived in their midst and broke the confrontation apart. He was wearing a turban and robes.

INTRODUCTION “So what are you supposed to be?” Wash asked incredulously. “One of the first rules of espionage. Blend in with the populace and don’t call attention to yourself,” the young secret agent stated. “Got these from a vendor for a swell price.” “Friends! Friends!” shouted a just-arrived stranger. The approaching stranger was a portly Arab man in an ill-fitting and equally ill-fashioned suit. A scraggly black beard surround his lips and chin, contrasting against the pale teeth of his smile. “Welcome to Cairo, City of the Pharaohs! I am to be your guide here, Re-Zal Evad,” the man said with arms wide open. “Sterling Westinghouse sends his compliments,” Wash said to him in response. “You know this cat?” asked Chase. “Westinghouse called me just after we took off and said he’d found us a local contact,” Wash said. “And when were you going to let us in on that? I nearly blew this guy’s head off!” Veronica growled. “Come! Come! I have hotel waiting for you!” beckoned Re-Zal Evad as he moved off into the sea of humanity that was the streets of Cairo. A warm bath and a change of clothes later, our heroes found themselves in their modest hotel rooms, sitting and letting a ceiling fan attempt to push back the desert heat. Washington Stuttz sat on the bed and tuned the knobs of his wrist communicator until the vision of Sterlington Westinghouse came into view in vivid black and white. “We’ve checked into the hotel,” Wash reported to the boss. “Our expedition leaves tomorrow morning. Anything new?” “No new quakes just yet, thank God. Be careful…and contact me when you’ve reached the target,” Westinghouse ordered. “Got it, boss,” Wash said before cutting the channel and lying back on his bed where he promptly fell asleep. Engulfed by the dense fog of exhaustion, Washington was oblivious that night to the cloaked figures that surrounded the hotel and even made their way inside and up the stairs. Unaware was he that three of these cloaked ones in fact had arrived inside his room while he slumbered and snored. So light were their steps that not even the squeaky floorboard beside Wash’s bed uttered the smallest creak as it was pressed upon. The lead would-be-assassin drew the length of his scimitar blade from the cloth belt that was around his waist. Directly and with sinister intent, the assassin pointed his sword downward, raised high above the midsection of Dr. Stuttz. If performed correctly, Stuttz would never even utter a sound during his own murder. Were it not for a single, solitary bead of sweat fallen from the sword wielder to Wash’s nose, that is exactly what would have happened.

Wash groggily came to after being jarred awake by the impact of the sweat drop. His open eyes saw the assassins above him and immediately he gasped. This shocked gasp continued as the cloaked men jerked and jolted from the multiple gunshots that suddenly tore through their bodies. Once they had fallen to the floor, Wash could see Chase Danner standing in the doorway, holding a smoking automatic handgun in each hand and smiling inexplicably. “Sorry to disturb you’re sheep countin’, Daddy-O. But it appears our hotel is surrounded by some mean hombres,” Chase said. Washington Stuttz was not happy. They were in danger, he had just come within a sweat drop of being a shiskabob, and his rest was disrupted…meaning he would be well beneath his required 7 hours of sleep for the day. Wash reached into his leather travel bag and pulled from it an iron mace that dated to medieval times

I

“Sons of bitches must pay!” he sneered before following Danner into the hallway. Veronica was already in the hotel hall when Chase and Wash arrived. She slapped a clip into her pistol as bullets ricocheted from all directions. The other attackers were now pelting the building with rifle and machine gun fire, indiscriminately shooting at the windows in hopes of hitting their prey. Boldly, Veronica charged to one such window and began to blazingly return fire. “I could stand some help here!” she yelled to her cohorts. “You got it!” Chase said, taking a stance at another window where he let the attackers have it with both of his barrels. His reply came in the form of machine gun fire being raked across the face of the hotel. Meanwhile, Washington Stuttz had entered the hotel lobby where guests were fleeing their rooms in droves and the night manager had ducked behind the front desk. Stuttz hid himself behind the potted palm trees near the stairs and watched as a group of men clothed exactly like the ones who had attempted to commit his murder ran into the lobby. As they approached the stairs, these men were met with the mace of Washington Stuttz. The leading man got the mace in his stomach, the one who followed across his jaw, and another a pile driver to the top of the head. Over and over, swing after swing, bash after bash, Wash left the veiled attackers in a mess that was unfit to be viewed by any decent American. Upstairs, Re-Zal Evad came out of his room, still wearing the soft, cotton cabana pajamas that he had bought in London. He was just in time to see Chase climb out of the window that was his firing position and take up a stance on the ledge. “They’re splittin’!” Chase reported of their attackers, firing off a few rounds in their direction for good measure. “Friends! Friends!” Re-Zal chirped with great alarm. “Of what is this?” “Being from out of town,” Veronica began as she dragged 15

SETUP

Pulp Fantastic an attacker’s corpse from Wash’s room. “We were going to ask you the same thing. Any idea who these jamokes might be?”

suggested as he brought a shovel over to the rock-hewn door. “It’s a the grave of a commoner. Shouldn’t have to worry about any traps.”

“I have no idea who these could be!” Evad replied, perplexed.

But nothing could have been further from the truth. As Wash Stuttz led his crew through the tunnel that led into the ancient Egyptian grave, a set of heavy, wooden spears tipped with bronze launched out of the walls, seeking to skewer whomever they could and then block the way for the rest. It was only because of Wash’s quick reflexes that he was able knock the rest of the party backward and spare them the fate of certain impalement. Wash then immediately set about to smash the crisscross of spears with his mace while Evad went back to the camels for a change of pants.

“Not a scrap of traceable evidence,” Veronica spat as if what she had said were a curse. Her hands continued to scour the body beneath her. “This fellow’s face is nondescript, he’s got nothing personal on his body. All I can tell is that he smells like goat.” “Yeah, but that’s everybody around here,” Chase said ignorantly. “No offense, Re-Zal.” “Oh none taken!” Evad said through a forced smile. “That one seems a little cold for your tastes, Veronica,” Danner chided, as Veronica could not give up the search. “Should try to find one a little hotter.” “I don’t try anything, I just do it,” Veronica Pentecost stated as she stood to look Chase in the eye. “Want to try me?” With bloody mace in hand, Washington Stuttz came up the stairs just as Re-Zal Evad was growing very uncomfortable. “Well, that was a lovely way to spend the evening,” joked Wash. It was a two-day journey into the desert to reach the target location. In a convoy consisting of two old Ford pickup trucks and the many camels brought by the local diggers and workers that Re-Zal Evad had hired, the three from America moved at a snail’s pace to their destination. On the morning of the second day, the expedition awoke to find that the tires on the trucks had been slashed during the night, along with many of the water skins they had brought along. The local help they had hired ran from the scene even as Evad begged them to stay on until they had reached their destination. To that, the workers only replied, “mesh mumken!” Evad then had to break the news that he and Stuttz, Danner, and Pentecost were on their own. With the shapes of the great pyramids rising in the distance before them, the desert travelers finally arrived at the coordinates provided by Dr. Campbell’s invention. The destination itself was unremarkable, but as they dismounted from their camels while Washington rubbed his chin and gazed upon the rock with great scrutiny, he rapidly determined the object’s true nature. “It’s a tomb,” Stuttz stated glumly. “I thought those were the tombs,” Chase said, pointing to the pyramids in the distance. “Not all the ancient Egyptians were buried in pyramids,” Re-Zal pointed out politely before waddling across the sand to join Wash at the carved rock. “Maybe your next question will be better,” Veronica suggested in a hot whisper directly into Danner’s ear. “Well let’s get started clearing the entry way,” Washington

16

After the spears came the fire. Some form of flammable substance had been released through holes in the sandy floor of the antechamber ahead and lit by a torch fallen from the hieroglyphic-laden walls. Stuttz fell backward into the others from the blast of heat cast forward by the crackling flames “Stand back!” Chase shouted, forcing his way past Stuttz and leaping through the fire. His feet found their mark on the modest sarcophagus that was in the center of the chamber. “Just tell me what I’m looking for!” “How the hell should we know what an earthquake machine looks like?” Wash hollered back at Chase, hands to his head in order to deflect the heat. “Boss? Are you there?” Veronica said into her wrist communicator, wasting no time in taking matters to the top. “Yes, Ms. Pentecost,” a black and white image of Sterling Westinghouse said. “I am here.” “Get Doc Fleming on the line,” she asked, the heat oppressing her succulent form. “I need a few answers here!” Chase shouted as he did a veritable tap dance upon a grave, dodging the tongues of fire licking at his boot heels. Elsewhere, the image of Dr. Campbell Fleming had replaced that of Westinghouse on Veronica’s wristwatch. His white hair seemed even more out of place than usual, his lab coat more stained, and his demeanor more harried than typical. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?” he asked in rapid succession. “I don’t have much time because I’ve got to get back to the lab! One of my atomic experiments is not going at all the way I had expected and I’ve left Miss Akimoto and my monkey in charge of things and I really shouldn’t even have departed because an isotope of this nature can be so readily…” “The earthquake device!” Veronica cut him off. “What does it look like?!” “The earthquake device?” Doc Fleming repeated the question. He then shrugged and gave Veronica a dumb look. “Heck if I know. Uhhh, it would have to be a massive mechanical construct. Power cables and conduit should be

INTRODUCTION stretching out from it, it should be radiating a great deal of power…can’t miss it,” Fleming explained.

half a globe away. It still astounded Stuttz how Doc Fleming could arrive at such marvelous inventions.

“There’s nothing even close to that in here!” Veronica screamed.

“Have Doc take a look at what we’ve found,” Wash said as he pointed his wrist towards the machine so that the two men in New York could see it for themselves. “It’s cone shaped, kinda bent at the ends, there are wires hanging out at the bottom from where Danner ripped it free…”

“Huh, no foolin’?” replied Fleming, perplexed. “Might it be underground?” Evad suggested. Then Chase pointed. In the direction of his extended finger was a conical wedge of metal, camouflaged in the corner of the antechamber amidst a few pottery urns. Stuttz looked it over skeptically. Could Chase reach it through the flames? As he looked around at the burning room, Wash decided that Chase Danner would have to and tossed a heavy cloth bag to him. “Grab it and get out!” Wash ordered and then turned to Veronica and Evad. “The rest of you get out, too! I think this fire is a self-destruct mechanism!” As his compatriots evacuated the tomb, Chase leaped upon the odd metal object in question. Rapidly he wrapped it in the heavy cloth as to protect his hands from what was now undoubtedly metal that had been heated to a most scorching temperature. Lifting it he felt resistance. With time running increasingly short, Chase Danner gave the object a mighty tug and felt it rip free. Beneath it stood now severed electrical wires and cables…leading to where Chase did not know. Nor did he have time to investigate the matter. With smoke now beginning to fill the entire underground chamber, Chase took two more determined leaps and bounded his way past the ring of fire. Though fleet of feet, he was not fast enough to prevent the flames from licking across his legs and igniting his pants on fire. Finally Chase emerged on the desert surface as the fire consumed the entire underground tomb. Immediately he fell to the sands, rolling about in order to extinguish the burning of his pants. Naturally, Veronica Pentecost immediately went to his side in order to determine just how much of his pants had in fact disappeared. “Here it his,” a coughing and smoky Chase announced as he unwrapped the machine that he had carried forth from the inferno. “You were lucky,” Veronica told him. “You could’ve gotten yourself burned alive by charging into the chamber that way.” “I tell you, lady. There’s the safe way, there’s the dangerous way…and then there’s the Chase Danner way,” Chase said as he lit a cigarette that had mercifully not been ignited by the flames.

“Mazoomba! It’s not the earthquake device,” the voice of Campbell Fleming said. “You better be joking,” Veronica Pentecost said with no expression.

I

“As near as I can tell, it’s an amplifier…a mechanism that magnifies the quake waves as they move outward from their point of origin. There could be many of these hidden all over the world,” Doc explained. “So what is it that we do now?” Evad said, asking the question that was now on everyone’s minds. “We can only move on down the line,” Dr. Fleming replied through the wrist communicator. “I’ll use the seismo-locater to run a trace.” “It’s probably going to be a while,” Wash announced to the others. “If you want, Veronica, maybe you can go find a mirror somewhere and you can pretty up.” “I think I’ll toss you back into the fire instead,” Veronica replied with complete sincerity. “I’ve got it!” Dr. Fleming’s voice mercifully declared, breaking the ugly silence between the bitter rivals. “Your next stop is…Zanzibar!” All that Dr. Fleming’s audience of four could then think about is the hot, sandy, windy journey back to the C-47 parked at Cairo’s airport. WHAT AWAITS OUR HEROES IN ZANZIBAR? WILL THEY EVER ARRIVE AT THE SOURCE OF THE TERRIBLE EARTHQUAKES? WILL VERONICA FINALLY SNAP AND JUST KILL WASH?

zanzibar Where was Washington Stuttz? That was the single question on the collective minds of Chase Danner and Veronica Pentecost as they raced through the streets of the island of Zanzibar, the two of them again finding themselves in a crowded and exotic locality. Shortly after Chase landed the plane on the island, the four of them dispersed in search of the earthquake machine. That was 8 hours ago. Wash had not been heard from since.

“A most tiny machine to cause such large earthquakes,” Re-Zal Evad said aloud as he inspected the salvaged device that was now sitting in the sands before he and Wash. At a loss, Wash activated his wrist communicator.

The streets were clogged with bicyclists, pedestrians, and a handful of cars that seemed antique by American standards, and even a healthy amount of oxen driven carts were thrown into the mix. Amidst the teaming throngs of humanity, how could they hope to locate Stuttz…let alone the quake device?

“You there, boss?” he asked aloud.

“Zanzibar!” Chase hissed. “I’m back in Zanzibar!”

“I am here, Dr. Stuttz,” came Westinghouse’s voice from

“Not fond of ‘Africa’s Jewel?’” Veronica asked as she dodged 17

Pulp Fantastic a bicyclist and made the charge through traffic in order to get to the marketplace across the street.

SETUP

“Was here about a year or two ago,” Chase explained as he tried not to bump into a table that was covered with a pile of green vegetables that he could not recognize. “We knew that the Reds were real interested in Africa. I went here on the sly-like to discourage what the Commies had in mind.” “You wouldn’t have been involved in a certain Soviet freighter explosion from around that time, would you?” wondered Veronica, again squeezing between pedestrians, some carrying heavy loads atop their heads. “All I remember is how this damned humidity made me constantly sweaty,” Chase complained. Veronica stopped dead in her tracks, and then turned to face Danner directly in the eyes. “And what’s wrong with being sweaty?” she asked in her typically sultry way. Though known for his cool, smooth, hipster repartee, even this spy could be left speechless by the withering and unbridled eyes of Veronica Pentecost. Truth to tell, she loved every moment of reducing the young agent to a befuddled schoolboy. “We…we’d better find Wash. Hey!” Chase shouted, grabbing the shoulder of a young, bare-chested boy who happened to be passing by. He displayed an old photograph of Wash to the boy, perplexing him even further. “Have you seen this guy?” The young African boy shook his head negatively and then scurried off for fear of being further accosted. “Well, that didn’t work. Time to try something else,” Chase said. “WASH!” he screamed into the bustling crowd. “wash! where the hell are you?!” It was the best that Chase could come up with. At his urging, the two of them resumed their hurried pace of walking. “Let’s hope that Re-Zal is doing better than we are.” Elsewhere, Re-Zal Evad was seated in a café, fanning himself with his hat as the ceiling fans did little to reduce the heat in the room. He looked about tautly and nervously; worried that someone would see him there, even though there were only three other people in Zanzibar at that moment that might question his presence in a café. The waiter brought Re-Zal his drink, unknowingly bringing with it at least a small degree of distraction and comfort. And then the man in the gray suit sat down at the table and Re-Zal jumped agitatedly. “Colonel Leermeister!” Re-Zal said in surprise. “You have information for me?” the German asked humorlessly. He was bald, craggily faced, and seemed genuinely disdainful of life in general. “Please sir!” Re-Zal begged in a hushed tone. “Do not call attention to me! There are ears and eyes about us!” “I am not concerned with that. I wish only to know what you have planned.” 18

After looking about to make certain that the café patrons were far more engrossed in their own business than in his, Re-Zal leaned across the table and divulged his secrets. “All is ready and in place. Dr. Stuttz already has been taken care of,” Re-Zal reported. “One of the natives here who is on my payroll is leading him to a substation of the earthquake device that is located deep in the jungle...but he will never find it. There are a good many things in that jungle that will have their way with him and very soon, I will bring the others there for the same purpose!” “And they are unaware of your involvement?” Leermeister questioned. “They suspect nothing!” a giddy Re-Zal replied. “Stupid Americans,” the Colonel breathed through a toothy grin. “You have done well, Evad. Your payment will be wired to your account.” “Oh one more thing if I may ask?” Re-Zal questioned timidly, the question bordering on ingratitude and causing a raised eyebrow from Leermeister. “I wish to go to America and see…movie stars! And listen to this jazz!” Leermeister pushed his chair back and stood away from the table, never once removing his narrow, predator’s eyes from Re-Zal. Grabbing the edge of the table and the tablecloth, Leermeister flipped the table over, spilling the drink onto his sniveling conspirator. Without saying another word, the Colonel turned and exited the café. “So…I suppose that was the infamous German temper,” Re-Zal said very very glumly as the contents of the table saturated him. Once in an alleyway beside the café and off of the bustling streets, Leermeister removed what appeared as a small black and white television set from his suit coat pocket. He manipulated the contraption much as one would the wrist communicators invented by Dr. Campbell, turning small knobs to tune in a fuzzy black and white image and coaxing it into a clear form. A bald man with pointed ears, a slender goatee and vaguely Oriental features stared menacingly back at Leermeister from the screen. “We have success, Your Excellency,” Col. Leermeister told the sinister figure. Despite the language barrier between he and his native guide, Stuttz felt confident that at the end of the hike he would be staring at two things: the earthquake device and whoever had built it. The native guide seemed every bit as adept at finding his way through a foliage-ridden jungle as Wash, for Wash had certainly done his share of exploring in rough terrain. Along the way, Washington had spoken with several villagers who had reported strange, mechanical sounds and strange, electrical glows emanating from what used to be a temple of worship deep in the jungle, confirming the rumors that the guide had reported to him. And now as the guided jabbered in a tongue incomprehensible to Wash, he pointed past enormous, green leaves the size of elephant ears and directed Stuttz’s attention to

INTRODUCTION what lie ahead. It was indeed a temple, centuries old by Stuttz’s reckon. But by catching sight of the gleaming metal tube that was at the temple’s center, appearing entirely as an anachronism juxtaposed against the ancient stonework, Wash knew that his archaeological curiosities would have to take a back seat to the dangers that the world faced. He was, however, entirely oblivious of the dangers that lurked just around the corner for him. Wary of booby traps placed in the temple from ages forgotten, Stuttz entered the structure that was overwhelmed by vines and other foliage. The metal of the device shined before him, looking most distinctly out of place amidst the ruins. He looked it over for a bit, studying all of its lights, wires and panels. All told, the entire thing was no longer than three or four barrels placed end to end. Raising his wrist to his mouth, he made what was to Stuttz, the only sensible decision. “Doc, you there?” Wash said into the communicator. “I found the machine, but I’m a little out of my depth here.” “Well done Washington! Well done!” Dr. Fleming exalted from all the way in New York. “Now move over to the bottom of the device where you’ll see a nodule protruding. It should be the power coupling.” Wash complied. He removed his fedora and ground himself through the dirt until he was underneath the rear compartment of the technological cylinder just as if he were about to change the oil on a car. “What am I looking for again?” Wash asked while struggling with the gizmo. “A power coupling,” the Doc replied. “What’s it look like?” “A black cable.” “Is it bigger than a bread box?” “Of course it is! Don’t be ridiculous!” “I don’t see anything like that.” “Really? Are you sure you’re in the right place?” “Pretty sure, yeah.” “I don’t understand. Why don’t you see the power coupling?” “Look Doc, if I knew that we’d be able to skip this conversation altogether.” “Now where are you on the device again?” “Just where you told me to go! Under the gizmo where the nodule protrudes!” “Oh,” Fleming said with realization followed by a brief silence. “That’s not it then. Let’s start over.” Dr. Fleming is indeed fortunate not have been in the jungle temple with Dr. Stuttz, as the latter would most certainly have shown the former just where he could place the device’s protruding nodule.

In time the proper instructions were conveyed and the machine was indeed deactivated. Wash tromped wearily out of the ancient Zanzibarian temple and met his native guide. Though his intellectual curiosity implored him to return to the structure in order to study it and discern its social and historical implications, physical exhaustion eventually won out in the argument. “Let’s go,” the archaeologist said to the native. “I’ve had enough for one day.” After they had been underway for a few moments, Stuttz looked back and noticed that his guide was no longer behind him, thus not fulfilling the obligations of a native guide. Where could he have gone?

I

Wash got his answer as the guide came running out of the dense trees, hollering in his native language. Though Stuttz attempted to steady the man and calm him down from hysterics, it was of no use. Instead, the native merely pointed behind them in the direction that he had just come running from…so that they could both watch the largest crocodile either of them had ever seen come rising out of the jungle! “Oh great,” Washington sighed in exasperation. Ominously it crawled, low to the ground and slithering its tail. Its powerful, beak-like snout opened ever so slightly and allowed a reptilian hiss to escape. In a desperate panic, the native guide charged the croc, causing it to open its ever-gaping maw. The guide moved swiftly to jam his walking stick between the upper and lower jaw of the great lizard, rendering the beast unable to bite. Infuriated by this, the crocodile mustered all the strength in its jaw and snapped the obfuscating walking stick as if it were a dry twig. The native guide then proceeded to be swallowed whole, down into the gullet of the animal. Stuttz did not believe the croc to be sated, despite the human outline now in the belly of the beast. It eyed him with eyes cold and devoid of emotion. They appeared as two black pools, darkened voids which stared back at Wash. The giant reptile was rattled and it knew that he was there, making Stuttz a potential threat. Steeling himself, Wash drew his mace and prepared for the worst. First came its tail with a broad slash just slightly over his head. Stuttz jumped back a good six feet, narrowly avoiding connection with the spiny appendage. The second time around he was not so lucky. The tail swung back and slapped into Wash’s hand with surprising force. He watched helplessly as the mace rolled away and into the green, bushy, undergrowth of Zanzibar. The lizard moved swiftly towards him, mouth agape just as it had done with its previous victim. Empty-handed combat between a Harvard professor and a giant crocodile; sounded fair to Wash. With fight-or-flight instincts fully in place, Washington Stuttz leaped onto the crocodile’s head. The head was essentially flat and made for a perfect springboard. Wash was able to propel himself to the animal’s rear flank in order to grab hold of its tail. A wrestling match of evolutionary proportions commenced. Reptile versus mammal. 19

Pulp Fantastic

SETUP

Cold, indifferent blood versus hot, American blood. As expected, the crocodile put up a fierce fight. It flipped. It snapped. But Wash eventually was able to twist its tail enough to render it completely upon its back. Now came the most harrowing and treacherous part. Could he remember how to do it? He had seen it done once before at the World’s Fair in New York. You pin a gator down and then gently rub its abdomen until it falls asleep. Of course this was a crocodile…and a big one at that. Still, there was little choice. As a mother would to a child with a tummy ache, Washington Stuttz brushed, rubbed, smoothed, and even caressed the stomach of the croc. He fought the urge to twitch and wretch as his hand moved over the outline of the native guide, being slowly digested within the animal’s stomach. Eventually, the reptile massage paid its benefits and the crocodile collapsed, fast asleep. Wash followed suit. He fell backward into the grass as a spent shell casing on the battlefield of the wild. Through the tropical foliage and across the flimsiest of rope and plank board bridges, Re-Zal Evad led Danner and Pentecost on a most precarious trail that they could only hope would end in finding their colleague, Dr. Stuttz. “Hurry! Hurry!” Evad encouraged them, even as the rope bridge began to give and buckle under their weight. “This way!” “And how exactly did you find out that he was here?” Veronica asked as she fought to keep her footing. “I bribed one of the local officials!” Re-Zal said as if he simply wanted the line of questioning to end. “Now we must hurry!” The end of bridge reached, the shores of Indian Ocean could be seen ahead with the sun setting in the distance. As fast as his stubby legs could carry his rotund body, Re-Zal ran to what appeared to be a log in the brush upon which a figure was splayed in exhaustion. “Wash!” Chase exclaimed as soon as he recognized the figure and then joined Re-Zal in the beach foot race. Much to everyone’s surprise, it was not a log that Wash was upon, but rather a sleeping African crocodile. Stuttz was barely conscious, his mumbled and barely audible babble were made all the more incoherent by the proximity of the jungle noises. Chase urged him to keep still and quiet while he administered a canteen of water to him and cautiously dragged him away from the deadly reptile. “What the hell happened to him?” Veronica asked as she arrived on the scene, observing Wash’s torn clothes and bloody scrapes. “Is he going to live?” “He will live as long as the rest of you, fraulein, which I’m afraid is not very long,” came a sneering voice on the beach behind them. Veronica spun on her feet, her handgun drawn and at the ready, only to find that they were surrounded by soldiers holding rifles who were dressed in entirely gray uniforms 20

and bearing the red and black emblem of the swastika upon their lapels. On their backs were metal gizmos the likes of which neither Veronica nor Chase had ever seen before. Standing amidst these troops was a triumphant Col. Leermeister, smiling like a fisherman who had just caught a prize trout. Bitterly resigned, both Chase and Veronica raised their hands in surrender as the barrels of each rifle pointed towards them. “My name is Leermeister and I am Colonel in the Fourth Reich. I have pursued you halfway across the globe, mein fruends. At last, I may stop chasing,” Leermeister said calmly. “You have done well, Evad.” With that Re-Zal Evad took his place at Leermeister’s side, stunning the ones who were once in his charge. “Money is in my account now, yes?” Evad asked. Col. Leermeister nodded affirmatively. “There’s two things in the world I hate, Daddy-O,” Chase said to Re-Zal. “Nazis and traitors…and you gone and done did both of ‘em.” “Enough!” the Colonel hushed. “It is time for us to depart.” Having said that, Col. Leermeister removed a flashlight from his belt and pointed it into the darkening sky. After flashing as series of timed pulses from the hand-held light into the sky, a response of similar flashing occurred. Then came a low, rumbling sound, as if the sky were about to become filled with large airplanes. But no such thing occurred. Instead, a large blimp came into view overhead…a blimp that bore the swastika emblazoned upon its canvas side. “Come!” Leermeister barked. “We depart for New Berlin!” Despite Veronica’s obvious repulsion to their hands, the soldiers took hold of her and Chase and Wash, just before demonstrating that the contraptions on their backs were in reality rocket packs that would hoist them into the air and into the gondola of the Nazi Zeppelin. Where they would go to from there…none could say. new york city “Dr. Fleming!” Westinghouse said sharply as he entered the wood-paneled room that had once been another study of his but was now an impromptu laboratory for Dr. Campbell Fleming, who was waving his hands defensively in response to his name being called. “Not now, Westy!” Fleming pleaded in a manner resembling an epileptic seizure. “I’m up to my ass in alligators!” With that, Jonathan returned his full attention to the tuning knob of one of his devices. “As is the rest of the world, Doctor. I’ve just received word that Bombay, India has just been toppled by a severe earthquake. What is the status of our adventurers?” Westinghouse asked. “That’s just it!” Fleming explained. “I don’t know! Maybe they’re alive…maybe they’ve met an ill-fate. I don’t know…

INTRODUCTION because I can no longer get into contact with their wrist communicators!” Sterling Westinghouse paused briefly and allowed his gaze to drift while he mentally measured what his chief scientist had just told him. If the expedition of the three was indeed lost, then whoever was responsible for these insidious earthquakes had already won. “You may have just written the world’s epitaph, Dr. Fleming,” Westinghouse said somberly. HOW LONG CAN THE WORLD HOLD OUT AGAINST THE EARTHQUAKE DEVICE? WHAT WILL BE THE FATE OF OUR CAPTURED HEROES? HAVE THE NAZIS RISEN FROM THE ASHES TO AGAIN TORMENT THE WORLD?

antarctica Silently and effortlessly, the Nazi blimp glided above the frozen wastes. Securely fastened to a chair in the gondola, Washington Stuttz looked down at the mountains of ice and swirling snows. Below him was the coldest continent on earth. Temperatures were regularly well into the hundreds below zero, any exposed human skin would freeze on contact with the frigid air, and with nothing but white in all directions, it would be so simple to become lost. There would be no means of escape for Stuttz and his crew this time. “Don’t be so glum, Jack. I hear it’s nice down there, this time of year,” came the voice of Chase Danner, the man who was chained next to him and reading the creased copy of On The Road that he carried with him. “Sure…if you call over a hundred degrees below zero ‘nice,’” Wash said with a sullen tenor. “Sounds cold,” remarked Veronica Pentecost who was likewise chained to a nearby chair. “We’ll just have to keep each other warm, won’t we Chase?” The Nazis dispersed parkas to the prisoners and soon the blimp descended and attached itself to a gantry tower born skyward out of the snow and anchored in a metal platform. The entire area around the tower was bustling with activity as the Germans had apparently carved an airbase out of the ice of the Antarctic shelf. Snow crawlers and tanks scurried about with mechanics as Leermeister brought his captives down to the metal platform via elevator. At the edge of the apron platform was a gaping black mouth that formed the entrance to a cave. As the troops plodded them along in a hurry to get out of the cold air, Chase could see that the cave stretched deeply into the recess of the ground. But what’s more, the cave served as an improvisational aircraft hangar. And what aircraft it housed! Chase’s jaw dropped as his eyes fell upon them for never before had he seen their level of sophistication. Some were jets shaped as batwings, others as saucers (explaining to him the source of what people had been calling UFO’s. Little did the world know they weren’t from little green men, but from men more evil even than the Commies), and others were…yes they were! They had to

be! They were rocketships, on launch pads placed beneath silo doors in the rocky ceiling and pointing towards outer space! “Damn,” Chase said with a long whistle. “I’d give my right nut to fly one of those babies.” “When exactly did your people invade Antarctica, Colonel?” asked Veronica Pentecost as they were ushered into warmer parts of the hangar. Technicians and mechanics still moved about, shouting at each other in German. “We’ve been here for a very long time, frauline,” laughed Leermeister.

I

SS troopers on guard snapped to attention and raised a flat palm upward as Leermeister approached victoriously with the prisoners. The guards stood as aside and allowed heavy doors to move away, revealing an entryway over which hung a swastika-bearing flag. “Quite an igloo you got here, Colonel,” Wash remarked as his eyes wandered about. “Like something out of Buck Rogers.” “This is all from technology invented by the Reich years ago,” boasted Leermeister as he led them through metallic hallways, dotted occasionally with electronic access panels and glorious portraits of Hitler. “Once you had invaded France in 1944, we knew that we were kaput in Europe. So into U-boats went our most secret technologies, our most brilliant scientists, and our most elite troops. All of them brought here to the South Pole to build this Neuschwabenland that you see here today. “And while you stupid Americans occupied yourselves with your ridiculous victory parades, we were building rockets,” Leermeister said with a sly sneer. “And jet-powered aircraft that far surpass any of the ‘kites’ in your arsenal.” “This guy’s startin’ to bug me, Wash,” Chase said in anger as he attempted to wriggle loose of his captors. Stuttz cautioned him to remain as he was and allow for time to formulate a proper escape plan. “I think you’ll find that the wings of liberty haven’t lost a feather, Herr Jack,” Stuttz bragged with all confidence. “America and her allies stopped you once before and we can do it again.” “Ja? How interesting…” the Colonel smiled menacingly as he brought the prisoners to a halt by a closed door. “This time, Deutschland has allies of her own…and we’ve recently made an arrangement that will have most dire consequences indeed for America.” With that, the Nazi opened the door. On the other side was a chamber that resembled a dining room, complete with a long and grandiose table with chairs and place settings all around. At the head of the table was a man in purple robes, a bald man with a sharp goatee and pointed ears. Slowly, the sinister being began to clap his hands…a considerable feat given his sickeningly long fingernails. “Welcome, Americans,” he said with an accent that was 21

Pulp Fantastic vaguely Oriental. “I am Xan, an emissary from the kingdom of Hyperborea.” This announcement was met with only an exchange of dumb looks and disaffected silence from our heroes.

SETUP

“Of course, I should not expect you to know of where I’m from,” Xan said smugly. “Please sit. Our mid-day meal will be served shortly.” The Nazi troopers shoved the prisoners to their places at the table. Resigned, Wash, Chase, and Veronica each sat down and unfolded their napkins. “Hyperborea is a civilization which exists many miles beneath the Earth’s crust,” Xan explained. “Unbeknownst to your pitiful scholars, an entrance to this kingdom lies below the ice of this continent. We recently encountered Nazi scouting parties and though our rapport was tenuous at first, we eventually came to find that we have…mutual aspirations.” “Namely, world domination,” Leermeister said as he raised his recently filled flute of champagne. As if on cue, the sound of thunder rocked the dining room and rattled all glasses and dinner plates on the table. For Veronica, the telltale shockwaves were far too akin to those she had felt in New York. “Earthquake!” she cried as she attempted to crawl under the table, but was denied by Nazi guards. “No, no, silly frau,” Leermeister cackled. “That is a squadron of our X-Jets, returning from patrol, no doubt.” “Man, I ain’t never heard engines like those on a plane before,” Chase marveled in awe to the sound of the Nazi jets. “I would wager that there are a great many things here that you have never seen before,” Xan mused. “Yeah, like an earthquake device,” interjected Wash, attempting to bring the matter to a head. “What exactly do you hope to accomplish by bringing that kind of destruction to the world’s cities?” “Oh certainly I have now made our goals most clear, Dr. Stuttz,” the sinister man from beneath the earth pompously stated. “Unless the nations of the world turn total control over to Hyperborea…and of course the Fourth Reich…we will level every major city on the surface world in less than two days.” “You fiend!” cursed Stuttz as he stood to vault over the table and wring Xan’s olive-toned neck. He was impeded however by Chase’s outstretched arm. This prompted only laughter from Xan and Leermeister. “A pity, this aggression of yours, Dr. Stuttz. You all could become part of the genesis of the new world order,” offered Xan with a fingernail thoughtfully poised at his lips. “Hey I might not be a church-going, cookie-baking, Donna Reed kinda gal,” Veronica began, incensed. “But this girl stands for only the good ol’ red, white, and blue!” “No dice, square,” Chase concurred. 22

“Very well then,” a contemplative Xan replied before pressing a button on his ornate belt. “I shall have you now meet a few of our other creations who escort you to your cells… where you will await whatever form of execution we deem most amusing.” At that, the door to the dining hall slid open…and six killer penguins entered the room. Yes! Killer penguins! Ordinary Emperor penguins of the Antarctic now had rows of razor-sharp, piranha-like teeth in their beaks and heavy weapons held in their modified flippers. Around their waists were belts laden with ammunition clips and grenades. The penguin in the lead of the formation leveled his heavy rifle at the three captives and opened his beak for the first time and spoke: “Eep!” After being herded and corralled by the killer penguins into a frigid jail cell, Stuttz, Pentecost, and Danner had no course of action but to sit and wait…and wait…and wait. “This is driving me crazy!” Wash exclaimed as he stood up to pace, frustration finally getting the better of him. “I can’t just sit here! We’ve got to do something!” “You’re flippin’ out, man!” Chase hollered back. “There’s nothing we can do right now, so let’s use our marbles to come up with a plan!” And all the while, Veronica sat silently, seemingly oblivious to their rant. “Oh yoo-hoo!” a girly voice called from down the hallway. Re-Zal Evad entered the brig to stand before their cell and taunt sadistically. His corpulent form had been squeezed into the accoutrements of an American teenager. “Re-Zal! You’re lucky I don’t tear through these bars and stomp on your head while cryin’ cocka-li-doodle-lee-doo!” Chase said with his hands firmly planted on the steel bars of their cell. “Oh but sir! I was wanting to tell you that soon I leave for America! I am going to hear live jazz for first time! And I could not have done it without money gained from your imprisonment! Shukran! Shukran!” with that, he cackled and departed in same direction that he came. “Oh yeah?” Chase called after him, barely able to stick his head through the bars. “I hope your jazz show gets cancelled…and they announce the a puppet show instead!” “I like puppet shows,” Veronica spoke for the first time since they had been forced from the dining room and into the brig. “Yeah? Well I like not being locked up in a cell by Nazis!” Washington complained. “Now you want to actually contribute something to our planning here, or are you going to continued to just sit and stare like you have been?” Without saying anything else, Veronica placed her hand down her cleavage and removed a lock pick in the same manner that a magician might extricate a rabbit from a hat. She brandished it about in the air pompously for the men to see.

INTRODUCTION “Where’d you get that?” Chase asked, surprised yet delighted. “I’m a private investigator,” she replied plainly. “How else do you think I get into buildings and rooms that I’m not supposed to be in?” Leaving that question to hang in the air, Veronica reached her hands through the bars and around to the lock mechanism that she began to pick with all deftness and skillful tenacity. After what seemed like endless seconds of rattling and clanking of metal, the lock popped and the door swung free. Before they were trapped and desperate, now thanks to Veronica’s crafty handling of the situation, the fight was again theirs to be had. Overwhelmed by enthusiasm for this prospect, Wash took Veronica in his arms and kissed her…before promptly dropping her. “Sorry,” he said wiping his mouth. “Got a little excited.” “S-seems I underestimated you, Stuttz,” stammered an uncharacteristically doe-eyed Veronica. “Chase, you get to a radio transmitter…or whatever kind of Flash Gordon gizmo they have around here…and get word to the boys back in New York. Veronica and I will find the earthquake device and see how we can blow it up. Now let’s move like we’ve never moved before!” With those final instructions from Washington Stuttz, the three moved out. Back in New York City, the experiments of one Dr. Campbell Fleming were suddenly interrupted by the sound of an incoming transmission on the radio receiver. “Uhh, hello?” Fleming spoke into the microphone quizzically. His reply was a voice garbled through static. “Hello? Who is this? What do you want?” “Doc! It’s Chase!” “Chase?” a startled Fleming hooted. “Chase Danner?”

“A steamy sort of warm?” “Yeah. How’d you know?” “If they’re working with the Hyperboreans, then I assume that the Nazis must now have the ability to tap geothermic energy sources. Listen, you must detonate the reserves of jet and rocket fuel that they have in storage. Once you do, the heat from the blast will ignite the geothermic gases… and that entire hall of nightmares you’re in will go up like a second sun. If we’re lucky, the blast might even be severe enough to shut off the tunnel entrance to Hyperborea. At any rate, we must make certain that the Nazis not reach into space! Just make sure that you’re all plenty far away from there when it happens, okay, Chase? Chase?” “Dammit! Doc! I gotta go!” And with that final, pleading statement from Chase, the airwaves fell silent. “Hold steady, boy! I’ll send help!” but Fleming had absolutely no idea how he would make good on that promise. “You’ve found them?” asked Westinghouse as he re-did his cufflinks and walked into the room behind Dr. Fleming. Rapidly, Campbell Fleming recounted everything that the secret agent man had reported to him over the radio and watched, as the face of Sterling Westinghouse grew grimmer by the moment. Though he momentarily raised his eyebrows in optimism as Dr. Fleming explained the physics behind the explosion that he had just ordered them to create, Westinghouse was still greatly troubled as to how to get his three operatives quickly out of harm’s way. “I will call President Truman,” a determined Westinghouse finally announced, and then promptly turned for the telephone that sat on the edge of Fleming’s cluttered desk. “And tell him that a rapid strike force is needed in Antarctica.”

“The one and only, Daddy-O.”

“But Boss! Won’t he think we’ve failed in our mission? Won’t he think…”

“Where in blazes have you people been? I’ve been trying to reach you for…”

“Truman will think what I tell him to think!” snapped the multi-millionaire as he picked up the phone and dialed.

“Cut out the hubbub, bub. We’ve been Shanghaied to Antarctica by a bunch of Nazis. They’re in cahoots with this other strange guy who claims to be from a kingdom inside the Earth and together they’re causin’ the quakes with an earthquake device.”

Well, that’s a radio that’ll never work again, Chase thought to himself as he looked over the shattered and smoldering radio console with the legs of a Nazi trooper sticking out of it. Far more serious than the state of communications though, this trooper would eventually be missed and it would be discovered that Chase and his compatriots had effected escape and were on the loose.

“Great Scott!” Campbell exclaimed after slapping his forehead and jerking about. “That ain’t all, Doc,” Chase cautioned. “These Nazis we got here in the South Pole? They’re building up for an attack. I seen a lot of military installations in my time and I should know. I got a look at the hangars on base and I saw they’ve been building super attack jets, rocketships, and they’ve been breeding an army of killer penguins.” “All right! All right!” Dr. Fleming interrupted. “Listen, Chase? How warm is it in that base?” “You mean other than the brig? It’s actually very warm.”

I

With those facts squarely in his mind, Chase Danner drew upon all of his learned instincts as a special agent in order to skulk stealthily through the corridors of the Nazi base. Deeper and deeper into what he was sure was the recesses of the Earth beneath the Antarctic ice and snow, Chase’s heart leaped when he came across Veronica and Wash as they were crammed into a confine space that overlooked an open expanse of the building that held storage tanks of fuel and housed generators to power the hidden Nazi fortress. 23

Pulp Fantastic “Here,” Veronica winked before tossing a handgun to him. “I got our guns and communicators out of hoc. Got Wash’s mace, too.”

SETUP

“Cool, man, cool. But I got to the radio and chewed the fat with the Doc. Here’s what we gotta do,” Chase began as re-told the plan to the others. “Theoretically sound,” Stuttz ruminated to himself. “All we have to do is find a way to blow this dump without getting ourselves killed in the process.” “Plenty of planes up top in the hangar,” Chase remarked. “Just get me to any of ‘em and I can fly us out of here.” “Great, pretty boy. But outside of that we’re stumped,” confessed Veronica. With no better ideas coming, the three gave in and contacted Dr. Fleming on their wrist communicators. “Great day in the morning!” came Dr. Fleming’s exclamatory expression, transmitted from thousands of miles away. “None of you ever studied science? Oh for the love of… Break the piping of the geothermal gases near one of the large fuel tanks. The metal of the storage tank will slowly rise in temperature and then ignite the liquid fuel, causing a domino effect throughout the area!” And with the help of Wash’s mace, that is exactly what the three accomplished, despite the fact that all three of them were very nearly sent to a scalding death by the ensuing rush of gases that came straight from the inferno that was the Earth’s core. Veronica Pentecost shrugged off the matter, claiming that dodging death was what they did best and that the steaming gases had actually been a benefit to her by curling her hair. Less concerned with ladies fashion and more with escaping the Nazi’s Antarctic lair, the men of the three rushed for the surface to where the aircraft…and their escape…awaited. “Fools!” Xan cursed after the S.S. lieutenant informed him that the cells containing Wash, Chase, and Veronica were empty. “Find them! You have 30 minutes to do so…before I begin to find new ways of motivating you and your men!” Not wanting to waste a precious minute of that 30, the lieutenant gave a Nazi salute and bolted out of the door. Xan then turned to the table next to him and ran his frighteningly long fingernails over the scale model of the lunar base that was planned. On the wall behind him were biological diagrams showing the level of genetic intricacy that went into breeding a killer penguin. Too much was on the line. Too much stood to be accomplished and conquered to have it all in ruins because these insignificant three. Leermeister stood in the corner smoking a cigarette, seemingly without sharing these concerns of Xan’s. “They must not be permitted to disable the earthquake device,” Xan told Leermeister, his Hyperborean confidence breaking. pow! pow! Gunfire filled the entire hangar as Nazi troopers took cover behind aircraft and equipment from the pistols of Veronica and Chase. Rapidly they returned fire, their stray bullets hitting a drum that contained some 24

form of flammable material and causing a raucous explosion in the main hangar. “Keep ‘em pinned down!” Stuttz shouted. “I’m going to secure a plane!” Chase nodded in understanding to Wash and then went back to drawing a bead on the enemy soldiers. Scurrying about and stopping to take cover behind whatever equipment had been left strewn about the aircraft hangar, Wash made his way over to his plane of choice: a bat-winged Nazi super jet. Not only did it appear large enough to him to accommodate all three of them and not only did it look speedy enough to carry them safely away form the blast, but it just looked cool as all get out. Crouching low, Wash made his play for the plane. It was then that his head bumped into the firmest set of abdominal muscles he had ever seen. A large, bald Nazi guard had emerged from behind the plane, carrying a workmen’s wrench and batting it menacingly into his left hand. Every muscle in the giant’s torso rippled in a show of pure testosterone and his face sneered in challenge to Washington Stuttz. That’s the biggest damned German I’ve ever seen! Stuttz thought to himself. Oh well, no sense dragging this out any further. With that, Stuttz thrust himself forward and slammed into the man’s mid-section. Though tiny by comparison, Wash was a brawler by nature and was not going to go down without swinging a few. But then again, neither was his opponent. With a shove on the shoulders, the giant Nazi flung Stuttz from on top of him, sending him flying into yet another series of steel drums. After quickly picking himself back up, Wash drew his mace and closed to engage the wrench-wielding menace. Their metal weapons clashed and clanked, connecting with each swing like swords in a duel. Wash could feel the Nazi’s superior strength battering away at him and did not know just how much longer he could hold out against him. Suddenly, the bald Nazi had found an opening and gave Wash a haymaker of a right hook to the jaw. Wash immediately crumpled to the floor, seeing stars and very nearly blacking out, an action that would surely have doomed them all. The Nazi stood over him, giving him insidious prodding kicks to the stomach and jeering at him in German. That was all it took for Wash to fight back the falling curtain of unconsciousness. No way was this man going to take a fall for a Nazi! Thinking his prey had been sufficiently disabled, the guard leaned his face downward to inspect and ridicule his fallen foe. It was a perfect opportunity for Wash to give a massive swing of his mace and cave in the side of the Nazi’s head entirely. Elsewhere in the hangar, Veronica and Chase had commandeered a tug cart. Veering and careening between the parked jets, Veronica drove the tug while Chase’s handgun spat hot, leaded death at their enemies. A few Nazis fled, fearing that if a bullet didn’t kill them, Veronica’s wild

INTRODUCTION driving would run them over. Other’s still met one of the previously mentioned fates. “Hold on!” Veronica ordered as she found herself unable to brake in time to avoid hitting a wheeled tool chest. Chase ducked and wrapped his arms around his head just before there was a prodigious crash and metal went flying. The tug went into a skid. The world began to spin. And though Wash stood by the flying wing, frantically attempting to wave Veronica off, the heavy vehicle clipped straight through the nose gear of the jet, snapping it clean from the fuselage. The front end of the aircraft dropped to the floor with a heavy crash, shattering the canopy and fragmenting the nose into cracks with a small electric fire beginning to burn. The tug came to a stop after it veered out of control into the side of the hangar, jolting its occupants free. “It’s ruined,” Stuttz said sadly. “We fought our way here for nothing.” “We don’t have much time left,” Veronica said somberly. “Come on!” Stuttz said, shaking loose any self-pity for their situation. “There’s a snow crawler outside. Grab a parka from the mechanic’s rack and let’s go!” “This is a drag, Daddy-O!” Chase called out as he held on to the side of the snow crawler. “I think I just saw a turtle race pass us!” Even Stuttz had to quietly agree with him. The vehicle was already at top speed in the snow and they had made only a modest amount of distance from the base. The ground shook from the shockwaves of the initial detonation in the lower levels of the base. Soon, the entire area would go up in a gigantic paroxysm of fire. They weren’t going to make it. Fissures began to develop in the ice as the tremors from the blast flowed outward from the center. As these cracks in the ice gaped open wide, a moving mass of black and white began to spill forth from them…the Killer Penguins. Their incubation chambers had broken apart and the penguins had been set free…massing their way straight for the snow crawler. “Man, those things are going to devour every scrap of flesh on our bodies,” Chase said in soft awe, catatonic in the face of the oncoming tidal wave of penguins that emitted and endless chorus of “Eep! Eep! Eep!” “Devouring my flesh has been tried on me before. But I somehow doubt it’s going to be as fun this time,” said Veronica as she lit a cigarette in preparation for an ugly fight. The region around the snow crawler had turned from an endless field of white to a sea teeming of black and white. Stuttz turned the beam of the snow crawler’s rotary searchlight directly upon the encroaching killer birds. Their beaks squawked out at the light as they became blinded from the glare reflected by the snow and ice. That is when Veronica took the first shot. The rapport of the gun made a sharp crack in the cold air. A killer penguin fell dead…

but another soon waddled into its place. Chase Danner joined in on the action, blazing his handgun towards the deadly beasts. “Uh-oh,” Danner said as his pistol began making a tattletale clicking sound. “I’m out…completely out.” “Probably should have saved a few bullets for ourselves,” Stuttz remarked, grimly assessing the tide of oncoming killer penguins. It was not in the nature of Chase Danner to give up quite so easily. With all the foolish recklessness of youth, he dove from the edge of the snow crawler and into the mass of penguins. He punched. He kicked. He wrestled. He had a decent-sized chunk bitten out of the flesh of his back.

I

“Crazy kid,” Dr. Stuttz muttered while shaking his head in disbelief. Mace at the ready, Wash followed Chase and jumped swinging into the fray. Through fisticuffs and a mace, as well as the last remaining shots from Veronica Pentecost, many a killer penguin fell that day in the Antarctic snow. But the situation grew bleaker by the moment. For every avian adversary that was killed, two more seemed to follow in its place. The three fought as Sisyphus against the stone. It did indeed look like the end for our heroes. That is until the blast of a laser beam incinerated the penguin nearest Chase. Ray after ray of red lasers shot down from the sky, reducing the mass of penguins to a wide pile of smoldering ash and cutting an arc of safety around the snow crawler. And as the three looked to the sky to determine the source of their salvation, they found it in the form of a group of men flying through the clear Antarctic sky by way of rocket packs strapped to their backs. Their copper helmets gleamed in the sunlight and shone as justice before the spawn of the Nazi menace. It was the United States Rocket Corps…The Fightin’ Rocketmen. Three of the Rocketmen landed on the snow crawler, causing Veronica, Chase, and Wash to avert their faces from the brief burst of heat that radiated from the rocket pack. “We’re The Rocketmen. We’re here to get you out,” the lead Rocketman said plainly to Veronica. “Let me get a hold on you, Ma’am.” “Oh you betcha!” Veronica turned around with a grin and allowed her to be enveloped in the arms of the Rocketman. Wash and Chase also allowed themselves to be held by the other two rescuers (by the underarms only) and soon they were soaring up into the sky…just as a fireball of immense proportions erupted forth into the air from beneath the polar ice. Soaring away from the blast like an insect spat forth from an inferno was one of the Nazi super jets. It desperately made its attempt at escape, desperately for it contained Re-Zal Evad. 25

Pulp Fantastic

SETUP

“Hurry my friends!” Re-Zal whimpered to the Nazi pilot and co-pilot. “If you can get us to Argentina in an hour, I will pay you double!” Before the pilots could answer the sniveling coward, three Rocketmen appeared in front of the plane, causing the pilots to point out of the cockpit window and shout nervously in German. The Rocketmen aimed their laser guns at the plane, motioning for the pilot to ditch the jet in the icy waters below so that he and his passengers might be apprehended. “I would have liked to have met Betty Grable,” Evad sniffled pathetically in defeat. The other remaining Rocketmen delivered their rescuees to the deck of a U.S. submarine that awaited them in the waters off of Antarctica. Veronica promptly commanded her Rocketman to remove his helmet so that she might give him a deep kiss of gratitude. Chase and Wash told their rescuers that a hearty handshake was all they were getting from them. “How is that for a rescue with style?” came the voice of Sterling Westinghouse on their wrist communicators. “It’ll do, Boss,” Chase said with false indifference. “And the entrance?” interrupted a frantic Doc Fleming. “Did the explosion seal the entrance to Hyperborea?” Chase and Wash exchanged dumb looks while Veronica continued to make out with her Rocketman. “Doc, there’s no way we can know that. We had to high-tail it out of there before we went up with the place, too,” Wash replied. “Yes, I understand,” Fleming sagged with dejection. “But I fear we may get our answer to that question someday soon.” Xan continuously lost his footing on the loose rock of the tunnel, mainly due to the fact that he was only wearing slippers on his feet. He fell yet one more time onto his posterior and uttered a curse in Hyperborean. “Have you no decent footwear?” chided Colonel Leermeister who was ahead of him in the tunnel. “Royalty seldom travel this way,” Xan growled. “Besides, what time had I to change shoes before our work went up into flames?” Leermeister could feel the heat from the intense fire that burned above them and would probably continue to burn for another week. “They shall all pay dearly for this,” Xan swore aloud as he once more started down the path that led into the Earth. “Hyperborea shall again rise to the surface and when it does…I shall first go looking for Veronica Pentecost, Chase Danner…and Washington Stuttz.” the end?

26

Chapter 1 Basics

T

his chapter covers the basic concepts and rules of the pulp fantastic role-playing game. Everything gets explained in more detail in the appropriate chapters later on in the book, but here’s the glossary and quick reference.

Characters Player characters (pcs) are the avatars controlled by the players. They’re the heroes of the series, the protagonists, and the starring cast. Non-player characters (npcs) are controlled by the Gamemaster; they’re villains, extras, and the supporting cast. In terms of rules, characters are defined by Attributes, Traits and Skills. They also have Story Points.

Skills Skills cover the character’s specialist knowledge and learning, everything from shooting a gun or moving stealthily to being an expert on Occult History or safe-cracking. Skills are rated from 1-6, where 1 means passing familiarity with the topic, while a Skill of 6 means that the character is a world-renowned expert in that field. Skills above 6 are theoretically possible, but represent a nigh-superhuman level of expertise. The skills used in pulp fantastic are: • •

Attributes

•

All characters (pcs, npcs, even monsters and creatures) have six Attributes. These attributes are:

• •

• • • • • •

Awareness: spotting dangers, noticing things out of place, avoiding surprises Coordination: dexterity, agility, dodging, climbing, accuracy Ingenuity: IQ, inventiveness, cleverness. Not necessarily a measure of education. A character might be very clever, but poorly educated. Presence: personal charisma, likeability, charm Resolve: determination, courage, willpower. Strength: physical strength, toughness.

Everyone has at least 1 point in every Attribute. For humans, all Attributes are rated from 1 to 6. For example, a Strength of 1 means the character is noticeably weak, small or physically challenged. A character with a Strength of 6 might be a weightlifting athlete or a really tough soldier. Particularly strange villains, creatures and monsters can have Attributes well beyond human maximums—a love-struck giant ape from a lost South Sea island might have a Strength of 16, while a Kraken might have a Strength of 40 or more!

• • • • • • • •

Animal Handling: Caring for animals, calming down ferocious monsters, commanding animals. Athletics: Climbing over obstacles, running, fitness Convince: Persuading people, lying with conviction Craft: Making or repairing items Fighting: Brawling, punching, using melee weapons Knowledge: History, geography, cultural information, folklore, humanities. Marksman: Using firearms, from bows to assault rifles and pistols to electro-blasters. Medicine: Everything from first aid to brain surgery Science: Research, experimentation, scientific knowledge Subterfuge: Sneaking, sleight of hand, hiding from monsters Survival: Outdoor survival, navigation, living rough Technology: Weird science, using gadgets, Transport: Driving, flying, operating vehicles

All skills have associated Areas of Expertise. A character can pick up Areas of Expertise if they have the related Skill at 3 or more. Areas of Expertise give a bonus to rolls related to that area. See page 40 for a full description of all the skills.

Traits Traits are special talents, quirks or foibles possessed by a character. Traits can be Good or Bad. Good Traits help out in certain situations – for example, a character with the

Pulp Fantastic Sense of Direction trait gets a bonus when trying to navigate unfamiliar terrain or avoid getting lost. Bad Traits hinder a character in certain situations, but provide bonus Story Points in recompense. For more on the various Traits you can get, see page 46.

DIFFERENCE

SUCCESS

EFFECT

9+

Fantastic

Yes, And…You not only succeeded, you get an extra benefit on top of succeeding

4-8

Good

Yes! You managed to do exactly what you were trying to do

0-3

OK

Yes, But…You succeeded, but at a cost.

Rules

−1 to −3

Failed

No, But…You didn’t do what you set out to do, but you managed to accomplish something…

There are all sorts of special-case rules for unusual situations like combat or investigation, but the basic system in pulp fantastic is very simple indeed. Here’s the catchall rule:

−4 to −8

Bad

No! You failed. It didn’t work.

−9+

Disastrous

No, And…Not only did you fail, you’ve made things worse!

SETUP

Story Points Story Points are a character’s edge, that little spark of luck or genius that makes him special. All player characters have a few Story Points, and can earn more from Bad Traits or role-playing. Story Points can be spent to re-roll the dice, change events in the game, or activate special traits.

ATTRIBUTE + SKILL (+TRAIT) + TWO SIX-SIDED DICE = RESULT. Then, compare the Result to a Difficulty set by the GM. If the Result is greater than or equal to the Difficulty, you succeed. If the Result is less than the Difficulty, the attempt fails. Finally (and optionally), determine how well you succeeded or failed by working out the difference between

28

the Difficulty and the Result. You don’t have to follow this step for every roll, but it adds detail to important, dramatic rolls.

A Note On Dice Sometimes, we’ll say something like an attack does 1 - 6 damage, or an event happens after 1 - 6 minutes. Just roll a dice to find the actual number. You’ll also run into more complex formula, like “2 dice +6”. Roll the listed number of dice, add them up, and then apply any modifiers.

TASK

DIFFICULTY

EXAMPLE

Really Really Easy

3

Really simple, automatic success. Opening a bottle of drink, using a phone, walking down the street, eating chips. (So simple, you shouldn’t even need to roll!)

Really Easy

6

Doing basic research in the library

Easy

9

Winding a clock, operating a radio, jumping a low fence,

Normal

12

Driving a car in traffic, shooting at someone, swimming in the sea, uncovering a useful but not secret fact.

Tricky

15

Driving at speed, shooting a moving target, climbing a building

Hard

18

Picking a lock, lift twice your own weight, treat a gunshot wound

Difficult

21

Climb a sheer cliff without ropes, charm your way into a government facility, escape from rope bonds.

Very Difficult

24

Recall a whole speech from a Shakespeare play, fix a broken piece of gadgetry, fly a plane in turbulence

Improbable!

27

Hit a very small target with a slingshot, break into the Division 4 offices, slide down an elevator cable using only your boots and your pistols.

Nearly Impossible!

30

Climb a skyscraper in the rain, shoot a small target in an adjacent room without looking.

Basics

Setting

The world of pulp fantastic is the world of the popular fiction of the 1920’s and 1930’s. It’s the past of our world, but idealised, simplified, and greatly exaggerated. First, the bright spots were brighter. Scientific achievements really could deliver on its many promises. Heroes were generally the noble and strong characters in stories, even if they had a flaw or two. The question wasn’t if the good guys would win. The question was usually ‘how’. On the other hand, the darker spots were dark. Crime and corruption in the cities was even worse than what the papers were reporting. Nefarious schemes hatched by masterminds both criminal and political were everything. But this all just gave the heroes something to fight against. The reason for this more ‘idealistic’ view of the world was simple. The Great Depression was a recent, ugly memory. Not too long ago, there’d been a brutal war in Europe, and it looked like another was on the way. In 1918 Spanish Flu had suddenly, swiftly and inexplicably killed nearly five per cent of the world’s population. Times were hard, and people wanted to escape their lives with light reading. They wanted stories in which the good guys were stalwart, true and victorious, and life’s problems could be solved with a solid right hook. So the pulps weren’t about realism, they were simply about entertainment, about stirring stories of adventure, intrigue, action and horror. This world – a world of square-jawed heroes and villainous masterminds, of weird science and lost worlds, of mystery men and two-fisted justice – is the world of pulp fantastic.

Example of Play

Terri: I got 8. Adam: 10 here. gm: Right. Runt looks around, but doesn’t see much of anything – he’s too busy watching the shadows. Wild Bill notices a manhole cover in the rain-slicked alley that isn’t sitting right, as if it’s been moved recently. Charlie notices the manhole cover, but his attention is drawn by a faint scuffing sound as if there is someone on the rooftop above you. Clay: I Look up quickly. Can I see anything? gm: No. It’s night, it’s raining and the glow of the street lights barely reaches down this dingy alleyway. You do, however, get the creeping feeling that you’re being watched.

gm: Cool. What are the rest of you doing? Adam: Wild Bill moves over to the manhole cover to check it out. Terri: Runt is sticking close to Wild Bill. Adam: (In a gruff British accent) That’s right lad, you stick with me. gm: Can I have Awareness + Survival Rolls from Wild Bill and Runt please. Adam: Can I add my Tracker Trait bonus? gm: Sure. Adam: Cool. Awareness 3, Survival 4, +2 from Tracker… I rolled 4. That’s a total of 13. Terri: I got 10.

In this example of play, there’s a gm and three players; Clay, Terri and Adam. Each player has a different character. “Quick Draw” Charlie McCoy, a soldier for hire, is played by Clay. Runt, a boy rogue is played by Terri and Lord William “Wild Bill” McGommery, big game hunter, is played by Adam. The group have thwarted an attempted kidnapping on the streets of Hong Kong and tracked one of the kidnappers to the docks.

gm: Excellent. Wild Bill, as you’re examining the manhole cover, you notice a thin smear of something dark on the edge, partially washed away by the rain. Moving the manhole cover slightly, you can see the top rung of a metal ladder, on which you clearly see a bloody handprint.

gm: You follow the scurrying figure of the would-be kidnapper down alleyways and between buildings, always staying just out of sight. Pausing to let the figure get far enough ahead that you won’t be seen, you round a corner to find that he has completely vanished. Ahead you can see an old, crumbling brick-built warehouse set right on the waterfront.

Adam: I call Charlie over.

Clay: Is there anywhere else he could have gone? gm: Is that in character as Charlie, or are you asking me?

Adam: Wild Bill just grunts and starts to climb down the manhole.

Clay: That’s Charlie. (Clay adopts a lazy drawl) Anyone see anywhere else he could have gone?

Clay: Charlie looks at Runt. (As Charlie) Are you as crazy as he is?

gm: Roll Awareness + Ingenuity, everyone.

Terri: Runt grins at Charlie and clambers down after Wild Bills. (As Runt) Last one down’s a sissy!

Clay: Awareness 4, Ingenuity 3, plus a roll of 5. That’s a total of 12.

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Clay: Riiiiight. Charlie unholsters his automatic, just in case.

Terri: (as Runt) Gee Wild Bill, looks like that shot you got off connected after all! Clay: I head over, but I’m trying to keep an eye on the rooftops. Terri: Looks like our boy went to ground, Mr McCoy! Clay: Charlie looks at Wild Bill and Runt. (As Charlie) Don’t tell me you’re going down there after him!

Clay: I’m going to regret this. Okay, Charlie heads down 29

Pulp Fantastic after them. (As Charlie) Someone’s got to keep you yahoos outta trouble…

SETUP

gm: At the bottom of the ladder is the tunnel, maybe a sewer or a storm drain. With all the rain you’ve been having it doesn’t smell too bad, but you don’t feel like setting up home just yet. It’s very dark. Did anyone bring a light?

gm: Awareness + Ingenuity, please. Adam, Wild Bill rolls Awareness + Survival, plus his Tracker bonus. Adam: I got 10. Clay: I got 12

Adam: Uh…

Adam: Again? I’m using your dice next time.

Terri: Oops.

gm: You’re both pretty certain that the voices aren’t getting closer. In addition, you can’t hear any of the splashing that would indicate footsteps in the tunnel.

Clay: Nope. gm: If one of you spends a Story Point, I’ll let you remember that you’ve packed a torch. Adam: I’ll do it. gm: Cool. Mark a Story Point off your character sheet. Adam: Done. Wild Bill pats his jacket pockets for a moment before finding and extracting an electric flashlight. gm: The yellow glow of the torch illuminates an ancient tunnel of brick extending ahead and behind. Which way to you go? Terri: Does it go toward the warehouse? gm: Roughly, yes. Terri: Then lets go that way! gm: Does everyone agree? Clay & Adam: Sure. gm: Okay. You move slowly along the tunnel, taking care not to make too much noise. With every step you take the ankle-deep water stirs and ripples ahead of you. Who’s going first? Clay, Adam & Terri: (All looking at each other) Errr… gm: Tick tock, time’s a wasting. I’ll need a decision or I’ll have to pick one of you at random in 5…4…3…2… Terri: I’ll go first. gm: Well done, Terri. Have a Story Point for volunteering. (To Clay and Adam) For shame, boys! So, with Runt taking the lead, you proceed down the tunnel. (To Terri) Runt, make an Awareness + Ingenuity Roll, please. Terri: Awareness 3, Ingenuity 3 (Rolls die) I rolled 5. That’s a total of 11! gm: You see that the tunnel curves slightly to the left ahead of you, and you can faintly hear the sound of voices muttering in the distance. If you squint in the darkness you can see a faint glow playing on the tunnel walls. Terri: Runt turns to the others and whispers “Douse the light!” Adam: Wild Bill flicks off the flashlight. gm: You wait in the darkness as your eyes become accustomed to the gloom. Faintly ahead, you can see light and shadows moving on the walls of the tunnel, and dimly you become aware of the sounds of men, talking and muttering amongst themselves.

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Clay: Are they coming closer?

Terri: Runt is going to sneak closer to the sound to see what he can see. Clay: Charlie follows. Adam: And me! gm: Coordination + Subterfuge rolls, please. Terri: Er, 10. Adam: 9. Clay: 12. Adam: C’mon! gm: (With an evil grin) He can’t keep rolling like that forever. Right, the three of you steal up to the bend in the tunnel and peer around. Ahead of you it opens out into a large cavern or grotto, dimly lit by several oil lanterns hung on beams and pit-props. Several men seem to be working in the semi-darkness, moving heavy wooden crates. Terri: (As Runt, whispering) What are they doing? Clay: No idea. Can you see what’s in those crates? gm: (To gm) Can we? gm: Not from here; they’re too far away and the light is too dim. Adam: Can we get any closer without being seen? gm: Maybe. Are you going to try? Terri: I’ll go. gm: Coordination + Subterfuge roll, please. Terri: I got 12! gm: Excellent. Pressing yourself into the brick wall of the tunnel, you slither closer to the entrance of the cavern. At the lip of the tunnel you pause and peer into the space beyond. About two metres away you can see one of the crates. Stamped onto the side is a crest you recognise from your adventure in Europe; the horned eagle of Berezkia! Terri: Oh, no… gm: Before you can head back to the others there’s a metallic rattling above your head, and a heavy iron gratings clangs down across the entrance to the tunnel and locks in place. At the same time bright lights snap on inside the cavern, dazzling you all. As you struggle to regain your sight, a familiar voice chills you to the bone.

Basics “So gentlemen, we meet again, as I predicted!” It’s your arch-nemesis, the Death Dragon, Siwang Lung! Adam: Wild Bill rushes down to Runt’s side and snarls at Siwang Lung through the grating. “Curse you, Siwang Lung! Whatever fiendish plot you’re engaged in, you won’t get away with it!” gm: Siwang Lung smiles grimly. “But I have gotten away with it, gentlemen. These are the last of the crates, but even without these I have stockpiled enough Berezkian weaponry to set the whole of the East afire.” Clay: Charlie joins Runt and Wild Bill. “But we’ve foiled your kidnapping plot!” gm: Siwang Lung’s twisted smile grows wider. “You have foiled nothing! I knew you would track me down eventually, so I engineered a fake kidnapping to draw you here on my terms. Now you are here…” Siwang Lung extracts a small whistle from his pocket and blows upon it. No sound emerges from it. “Now you are here I will dispose of you.”

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Terri: (As Runt) “Tough talk from a man on the other side of an iron grate!” gm: Siwang Lung bows very slightly. “True. It pains me to leave the execution of such worthy foes to lesser minions, but I am a man on a schedule after all.” Adam: Wild Bill draws his pistol. gm: Siwang Lung wags an admonishing finger. “No, no, Lord McGommery! That will not do. You should save your ammunition. You’re going to need it.” Make Awareness + Ingenuity rolls, please. Terri: 9. Adam: 11 Clay: 8. gm: Wild Bill hears it first, then Runt, and finally Charlie. It’s behind you, in the tunnel, getting closer. Much closer. Terri: What is it? gm: Rats. The squealing of rats. Thousands of them. And they sound hungry… Just what is Siwang Lung’s dreadful plan? Can our heroes stop him, or will they be devoured by a tide of scurrying death? Find out in our next thrilling episode of pulp fantastic!!

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Chapter 2 Genesis

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his chapter covers the rules for creating your player character. If you’re using the characters from the templates, you’ll still need to refer to this chapter to learn about Attributes, Skills, Traits and the other character-centric rules.

Creating a Group Before you start making your character, you should get together with the other players and the Gamemaster and discuss how the game is going to work. What sort of characters is everyone going to play? What brings all the characters together? Is there an overall theme or goal to the game? Everyone needs to have an idea of what the game is going to be like before anyone moves onto character generation. That doesn’t mean you can’t play the character you want – but you need to find a reason to integrate everyone into the group. If you come up with an English Big Game hunter traipsing through the wastes of Antarctica, you have to have a reason why. We call the structure you come up with for your game your Group Framework, and Pulp stories are a good place to start.

The Premise The first step is coming up with the premise for the Group Framework. Think of it as the ‘elevator pitch’, the quick thirty-second summary of what your game’s going to be about. For example, the Doc Savage stories were about an altruistic scientific genius surrounded by men who were experts in their fields, who teamed up to help people and make the world a better place. While Doc was undoubtedly the powerhouse of the group and the reason they stayed together, each member was a capable adventurer in his (or in the case of Pat Savage, her) own right. The Shadow and the Spider stories featured a vengeful crime-buster with a cadre of assistants and operatives who frequently went off on adventures of their own, often coming to their leader’s rescue at the last moment. What about your group? Are they a team of treasure hunters and archaeologists, working for a major museum? Are they government agents, bent on cracking down on Nazi spies and threats from the Orient? Are they G-men,

striving to crush the home-grown disease that is organized crime? Are they the agents of an ancient mystical brotherhood, fighting to push back the forces of supernatural darkness? Are they explorers and hunters, trekking off the edge of the map in search of fame, glory and a dinosaur head to mount over the club fireplace? Are they a combination of the above, or something entirely different? With the above examples, many different types of character can be brought together by similar experiences. Perhaps the agents of the mystical brotherhood all encountered some foul supernatural threat at some point in their lives, and are now bound together by a sacred vow to protect the innocent from Eldritch Abominations. Maybe the wise-cracking, whip-wielding adventurer and the stuttering, bookish scholar both lecture at the same university, and maybe the grim government agent has been assigned because the artifacts they dig up have a tendency to be… dangerous. Perhaps the gum-chewing news hound follows them around because the scrapes they get into make the best copy!

Who are the Characters? Pulp characters tended to break into two wide archetypes: Protector and Avenger. The Protector is a bulwark against evil; defending the “common man,” society, the American government, Truth and Justice. While the Protector is willing to bend rules and laws in the pursuit of higher goals, ultimately he is about upholding the law. Regardless of what evil and heinous acts occur, the Protector will work within the system to prevent those acts from happening. The Protector is a role-model, as well as a model citizen. He is the one given the public plaudits, the honorary police badge, the one handed the key to the city. The Avenger acts from the shadows and embraces them as a part of his way of life. While the Avenger may hold the Protector in high esteem and respect, he knows that having high morals can get in the way when trying to break a crime ring. The Avenger is about practicalities and getting the job done, even when it means breaking the law…or the occasional bone. Remember that regardless of which of these two general archetypes is used as a theme for your character, that character is supposed to be a hero. The world of the Pulp Era can be brutal at times, but the characters are the heroes

SETUP

Pulp Fantastic

SAMPLE CAMPAIGN FRAMEWORKS BRING ‘EM BACK ALIVE! The characters are a group of naturalists, guides, hunters and reporters who travel the world in search of the biggest, most elusive and mysterious game for study in a major metropolitan zoo. Funded by a mysterious benefactor, their mission is to investigate reports of strange and unusual wildlife, and retrieve live specimens if possible. So far they’ve not had a lot of success, mainly because the Nazis keep getting there first. But what does the Fuhrer want with these animals, some of which seem as if they shouldn’t be native to the Earth at all?

KNIGHTS OF THE ELECTRIC TABLE! Nikola Tesla, the “wizard of the 20th Century”, has created a new technological Camelot in upstate New York. Playing both Arthur and Merlin, the quiet genius has recruited some of the worlds most extraordinary men and women to serve as his “knights”; guardians who serve to advance the boundaries of human knowledge, and protect the people from the willful abuse of that knowledge. Together the characters investigate abuses of the new technology, fighting to stop the fruits of Tesla’s genius from ushering in a new Dark Age. But how are dictators and mad men getting hold of Tesla’s designs? Is there a traitor in Camelot? And what of Thomas Alva Edison and his insatiable desire to make Tesla’s discoveries his own?

TALES OF THE AIR CAVALRY! From their super-secret floating island, the brave airmen and women of the visionary Air Cavalry protect the skies of the world from the machinations of science villains, dictators and criminal masterminds. Beholden to no nation, the Air Cavalry has vowed that the skies shall remain free from war. But as the nations of the world move closer to conflict, and Herr Hitler’s scientists experiment with new and faster aircraft, and newer and more terrible technologies, can the Air Cavalry really hold back the tide and keep the skies open for Freedom?

TWO-FISTED ACTION TALES! The publishing industry in the pulp-era is a cut-throat business, and these days a magazine has to have a gimmick to stay in print. Say, wouldn’t it be a great idea if, instead of paying hack writers to churn out unbelievable stories month after month, the magazine had it’s very own real-life adventurers and chronicled the scrapes they got into? Sure it would! If that’s not a sure-fire hit idea, then my names not J. Montgomery. Cruickshank III. Get to it boys! And where’s that copy-boy with my danish?!

FIGHT THE FUTURE! You’ll always remember the night the time traveler appeared. Grim, determined and weighed down with terrible knowledge, he first convinced you of his veracity with information about your life; information that no-one alive could possess. Then he told you a little about the terrible future he had seen, on his voyages astride his chronovelocipede. Finally, he told you that you, and others like you, were the key to stopping that awful, empty future from coming to be. Shortly after the traveler introduced you to his other recruits, he vanished, leaving behind a tattered journal brimming with notes concealed in a complex cipher. The brightest guy you know is decoding it, and lets you know whenever he uncovers something useful. The trouble is, you don’t know how that dreadful barren world will come about. You hope you’re doing the right thing, but what if you’re just making it happen, or even making it worse?! And who are the dark-suited strangers you seem to be running into more and more often? Are they time travelers too? Or do they serve an even murkier, more fantastic purpose?

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Genesis who are striving for a better world – even when their motives may appear vague and mysterious to others. The Pulp Era was before the time of the anti-hero. Whenever the pulp magazines tried to create a magazine with a villain as a main character within a few issues that magazine would fail in the market place. The readers wanted to know that there were heroes out there in the world, leading by example and deed, making the hard choices and who could not live an easy life. They wanted heroes, and at its roots it is heroes that pulp fantastic is actually about. Character conception is also the most important idea to remember when actually playing your character. The basic, all-important basis of role-playing games is that the players role-play. Players put together their characters according to their character conceptions, and in all subsequent adventures react to situations as would their characters. This means that if a player has put together a character who is a fearless-unto-self-destruction hero of heroes, when playing this character he should react as this strapping hero, even if the real player is a skinny and pacifistic scholar. On the other hand, a strapping player may wish to portray a near-sighted and indolent coward – and should, in spite of any real-life inclinations, respond to most threats by running away and using his wits.

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Try also to become familiar with the historical period that is the basis for the campaign. The Source-book included with this game, the Pulps themselves, and many readily-available books on history will supply you with most everything you need to know. (You don’t need to be as relentless as this game’s designers and purchase mountains of books, magazines, almanacs, encyclopedias, and gazetteers from the period for your research…but it helps). • Lastly, get inside your character’s head. You should essentially have done this already, when conceiving your character. How does he respond to danger? To prolonged stress? Is he cynical or romantic? Curious or indifferent? Outgoing or introverted? Absentminded or fiercely intent? Comprehend your character, and react to the adventure’s situations as he would. That is role-playing. It is the most important part of a role-playing game. The characters react to dangers, clues, and each other and without those interactions, a game becomes nothing more than a tactical exercise in mayhem.

Who’s the Supporting Cast?

Of course, the situations the gm creates will not merely be threats and danger. Role-playing games should not consist of a series of incidents of random violence and combat. So, our strapping hero may have the fighting ability of a squadron and the social awareness of an orangutan, while the sniveling yet scholarly coward may not be able to out-wrestle an over-stuffed armchair but may be able to read hieroglyphics by touch and operate every known mode of transport in the world. And all this, of course, is at the choice of the individual player and his gm.

Who are the key non-player characters? Do the characters have a mysterious benefactor who bankrolls their adventures in return for whatever scientific knowledge they acquire along the way? Do they know a long-suffering Chief of Police, a dry-witted University Dean or a particularly feisty lady reporter with a knack for finding trouble? A good Premise gives the Gamemaster a few fun recurring characters to play. The gm characters are the supporting cast, not the stars of the show—even if they tag along on adventures, it’s up to the player characters to actually solve the mysteries and save the day.

In order to role-play more effectively—providing for more depth, enjoyment, and color in the campaign— you should;

What Resources Do You Have?

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Talk to your GM and understand the nature and scope of the campaign he is creating. You’ll want to create your character to fit comfortably within the nature of the campaign. A chivalrous adventurer or a genius inventor/ scholar will fit in well in practically any campaign; however, a hardboiled detective may feel a little foolish within the pyramids of Egypt, a devout monster-slayer may feel useless in a campaign where creatures of the night do not appear (or worse, do not exist!), and a whip-cracking and boisterous adventurer may be of little use tracking delicate sets of clues through the social strata of Boston. Become familiar with the genre—understand the very feel of the pulp adventures from which this game is derived. Heroes were a trifle more single-minded than those today; happily, distinctions between good and evil were also clearer. Think in black and white, and remember that your characters should be portrayed as larger than life.

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How well funded is your group? What sort of support do you have? Are you amateur sleuths or secret government agents? Have you got a luxurious headquarters in one of New York’s tallest buildings, or are you operating out of the back room of a disreputable bar on the docks of Shanghai? Do you have the legal authority to go stomping around the country looking for spies, cultists and madmen, or do you have to sneak around and bluff your way in? Look at the rules for Group Traits on page 65 for ideas.

Who Opposes You? Adventure and drama requires conflict—who’s the antagonist? Who opposes your group? Who’s your Evil Mastermind? In Sax Rohmer’s classic Fu Manchu stories the eponymous “Devil Doctor” was the main antagonist throughout the series, but there were also lesser villains like his daughter, the beautiful and venomous Fah Lo Suee and other senior agents. There’ll be disposable bad guys and enemies in each adventure, but you’ll also want some ongoing opposition, the quirkier and more memorable the better. 35

Pulp Fantastic

SETUP

Connect It All Up Finally, take a look at everything you’ve come up with so far, and see if you can find any interesting connections. The stunning Femme Fatale is much more interesting as a character’s ex-wife or lover than if she was just a random spy, and the twisted Mad Scientist’s grudge could be made even more personal if he was once the lab partner of one of the heroes, and blames him for being laughed out of University. Throw in a few unexpected links between different elements of the Group Framework. What if your resources come from the wealthy industrialist father of one of the player characters? What if evidence comes forward that he was a war profiteer? What if the opposition are a secret faction of the US Government, run by a Shadow President? What could tear your group apart?

Creating your Character Now that you’ve got an idea of what sort of characters fit within your group framework, it’s time to create your own character. Characters are defined by Attributes, Skills and Traits. Attributes are what the character is like – how strong they are, how clever they are, how perceptive, and so on. Skills are what the character knows – can they drive a car, strip down an engine, know first aid, know how to ski, how to fight or how to bluff their way out of a situation? Finally, Traits detail what your character can do, or in some cases cannot do – are they ambidextrous, have a particular knack for fixing things, do they heal surprisingly quickly, are they rich, famous, or have a family that keeps getting them into trouble? Attributes and Skills have numerical ratings. The higher the rating the better they are at something. Each character is given a number of points to purchase Attributes, Skills and Traits, but these points are limited, so the players should think things through before assigning numbers. They’ll have to decide if the character is stronger than they are smart, wittier than they are agile, and what their particular areas of expertise are. You’ve got 42 Character Points to spend. Each point spent buys you a single point of an Attribute or Skill. You can also buy Traits – Good Traits cost a variable number of points, while Bad Traits give you points back! Left-over Character Points become unspent Experience Points at the end. You’re limited to spending a maximum of 24 points on Attributes.

Attributes Attributes are a measure of a man (or woman) and give you an indication as to what the character is capable of. How strong they are, how smart, how charming, how clever, all these are defined by Attributes ranked from one to six. Using the Character Points given, you purchase the 36

Attributes of the character, limited to a maximum of six in each. Six is the human maximum, and no character may have an attribute above six. It is very rare for a character to start with an Attribute at six. At the other extreme, you must put at least one point into each attribute. You can’t have an Attribute of zero - when Attributes reach zero due to injury or other effects, the character becomes incapacitated - so you can’t start in that state! You could put more points into the character’s Strength, and less into their Ingenuity, meaning that they’re more of an athlete. Or you could make all of the Attributes the same, making them equally good (or bad) at everything, though that may not be very realistic - nobody is equally good at everything.

The Six Attributes There are six attributes that define the capabilities of the character. They are Awareness, Coordination, Ingenuity, Presence, Resolve and Strength. Attributes are ranked from one to six, with six being the human maximum. A description of what the Attributes are follows, each covering the various levels so you know what having a Strength 2 or Resolve 3 actually means.

ASSIGNING ATTRIBUTE POINTS You can spend up to 24 points on Attributes, but you don’t have to spend that many. Most people have only 2s and 3s and maybe a single 4 in their Attributes. People with an Attribute of 5 are pretty exceptional – people with a 6 are incredibly talented. There’s no need to make your character superhuman. Unless you have a specific character concept in mind, limit yourself to 3s, 4s and maybe one 5. You will have more fun if your character’s exceptional qualities are balanced by his weaknesses. Be careful of putting a 1 into an Attribute – that’s a significant weak spot in your character that any good GM will exploit.

Awareness Awareness is used for your sense of your surroundings. It’s what you use to see a native sneaking up on you or to explore ancient ruins. Awareness covers all five senses equally – if you want your character to be especially keeneyed, that’s a Good Trait. Importantly, Awareness determines whether or not you’re surprised when combat starts. Awareness 1: Rather oblivious or absent-minded; you’re the sort of person who’d walk out in front of traffic, or miss a clue that’s right in front of your nose. Awareness 2: Below average; easily distracted, preoccupied or never needed to hone your senses. Awareness 3: About average; moderately aware of your surroundings, somewhat perceptive, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Genesis Awareness 4: Quite perceptive, quick to notice something out of place. People trained in observation, such as police officers, fall into this range. Awareness 5: Extremely aware of your surroundings. You’ve probably spent time in a dangerous environment, like a jungle, where a single careless misstep could cost your life. Awareness 6: The finely honed senses of a predator; you could be a legendary detective who spots every clue, or a brilliant hunter who can spot the most cleverly camouflaged prey.

Coordination This Attribute covers hand-eye coordination and dexterity. It also plays into who goes first when combat starts. Coordination’s a very important attribute if you’re playing a combat-focused character. Athletes and martial artists have high Coordination. Coordination 1: You’re clumsy or uncoordinated; you might even suffer from some ailment or physical problem. Coordination 2: Below average; you were always picked last for football, and walk into doors a bit more than most people. Coordination 3: Average; you can handle yourself moderately well. Coordination 4: The level of someone quite athletic or dexterous.

Presence This covers charm and charisma. People want to trust you, to like you, and to impress you. It’s very useful when trying to persuade or command people. Presence 1: You’re actively anti-social, rude, or just clueless. Presence 2: You’re forgettable, bland, or put your foot in your mouth regularly. Presence 3: About average. You’ve got a few close friends, and can speak in public without embarrassing yourself. Presence 4: You’re the life of the party, with above-average charisma and charm. Presence 5: You’re extremely convincing. You could be an inspiring leader, a wonderful entertainer, or a talented con artist. Presence 6: Your charisma borders on the superhuman; you exude animal magnetism, and people flock to you. Your force of personality can steamroll most opposition.

Resolve Resolve measures your willpower, determination, and self-control. Low Resolve means you’re nervous or fearful; high Resolve means you’re cool and collected. Resolve is related to courage, but it’s not directly correlated – a character with low Resolve could still be brave enough to creep into a cannibal’s village, but he’d be shaking in his boots as he did so.

Coordination 5: Exceptionally well-coordinated; you might be a sharp-shooter, contortionist or gymnast.

Resolve 1: You don’t handle danger well at all. You’re the sort who faints at the sight of blood! You’re also a pushover, and rarely stand up for yourself.

Coordination 6: Incredible hand-eye coordination and agility.

Resolve 2: You’re nervous and fearful. The thought of violence makes your knees start knocking and your mouth go dry.

Ingenuity

Resolve 3: About average. You wouldn’t consider yourself especially brave or tough, but you can be relied on when the chips are down.

This Attribute is how clever you are. It doesn’t necessarily reflect intelligence – you may be highly intelligent in one field, but unable to apply your knowledge in other areas. It also doesn’t quite measure education. Think of it as reflecting how quickly you think on your feet.

Resolve 4: You’re stronger-willed than average. You know your own mind, and don’t let other people boss you around.

Ingenuity 1: You’re noticeably slow on the uptake and don’t improvise well.

Resolve 5: You’re extremely strong-willed. People call you driven, stubborn, or a maverick. When you set your mind on something, it gets done. When you’re surrounded by a gang of thugs, you don’t even flinch.

Ingenuity 2: Below average; you can get by in everyday life, but you’ll lose arguments more often than you win them.

Resolve 6: Your conviction borders on obsession. Your self-control is astonishing. You could stare down a charging bull.

Ingenuity 3: About average; you can adapt when challenged and solve most problems you encounter.

Strength

Ingenuity 4: Above average; you’ve gone to university (or could have, if it weren’t for circumstances), and can solve a crossword quicker than most people. Ingenuity 5: Very smart; you could have got a scholarship. Your intellect impresses people. Ingenuity 6: A genuine genius; your mind is frighteningly quick.

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Strength, obviously enough, is your physical strength. The higher your strength, the more you can lift and the more damage you do when you punch or kick someone. A high Strength score is needed to use some heavy weapons properly, or to carry lots of gear. When you have to, you can lift twice as much as you can comfortably carry. Strength 1: You’re very weak; most likely, you’re either very young, very old, or sick. You do one point of damage with a punch, and can carry 15kg of gear. 37

Pulp Fantastic Strength 2: Your strength is below average; maybe you’re on the small side, or just unfit. Your attacks inflict 2 points of damage, and you can carry around 30kg of gear without strain.

SETUP

Strength 3: Average strength. You can pitch in to do a bit of physical labor when you have to, and you go the gym a few times a month. Your attacks inflict 3 damage; you can carry 45kg. Strength 4: You’re fit; maybe you exercise regularly, or your daily job is a physically demanding one. Your attacks inflict 4 damage, and you can carry 60kg with ease. Strength 5: You’re very strong indeed; people remark on how muscular or toned you are. Your attacks inflict 5 damage, and you can carry 75kg without a problem. Strength 6: You’re a monster. You could wrestle a gorilla. Punching someone inflicts 6 damage, and you can carry 90kg or more.

Skills Skills are learned abilities. Your character may have been blessed by genetics with a high Ingenuity and good Strength, but what he learned in life makes all the difference.

Assigning Skill Points You don’t have to allocate points to every Skill; after all, most people aren’t good at everything. Pick one or two Skills that reflect the character’s occupation or pastimes and put three or even four points into those, and pick a Skill or two that you’ll think will be handy for the coming adventures and put a couple of points in them. The remaining points can be distributed as you see fit, bearing the concept of the character in mind. While the character can advance and have Skills above five, it is rare for a starting character to have a skill above that. During character creation, no Skill can be above level five unless this has been discussed in detail with the Gamemaster and authorized. If you want to play, for example, a university professor or a limping medical diagnostician you may be allowed to put more than five points in a Skill, but then it should only be in the Skill that reflects the character’s profession. Besides, you don’t want to pile all those points into one place and become too much of a specialist to be of any use, do you? If you’ve got lots of points left over, put them into Areas of Expertise.

There are thirteen skills in pulp fantastic, which cover all the threats and dangers you’re likely to encounter… on this side of Maple White Land, anyway. Like Attributes, skills are rated from 1-6. 1 indicates a passing familiarity with the topic, 6 means you’re a world-class expert in the field. Unlike Attributes, you don’t have to have a point in every skill. Your skills can go over 6 if you improve them through experience.

Areas of Expertise Skills are very broad; but just because you know Science, it doesn’t mean you’re an expert in biology, chemistry and astrophysics. As you learn something, you get to a level where you may focus your studies or interests, getting better at something in particular. This is an Area of Expertise. For example, the Transport skill covers all forms of mechanical vehicles, from automobiles to auto-gyros to locomotives. Normally, you’d just roll Coordination + Transport when driving a car – but if you had an Area of Expertise in Automobiles, you could add +2 to your roll. Areas of Expertise can only be purchased once you have three points in a skill; they cost 1 point each.

Trappings If you’ve got a skill, then you’ve also – probably – got the tools to use it. The trappings entry for each skill describes the equipment and contacts that are customarily associated with it. For example, if you’re a trained sharpshooter, then you either have your own gun collection or are a member of a gun club. Trappings don’t always apply: if your character has been exploring the jungles of Borneo for the last five years, she probably doesn’t have a working motorcycle even if she has Transport (motorcycles) 4. 38

ADDING NEW SKILLS If your players are just itching to have a Skill that is not on the list, first of all think whether one of the Skills listed below covers it already. Want a skilled grease monkey? No problem, they have a good Technology Skill. Adventuring archaeologist? They’d probably have a high Knowledge to cover that history, maybe some Athletics to take the active nature into account. You don’t need to be too specific, but if you feel that you want a specific Skill that isn’t covered by these broad Skills listed, you can apply your Gamemastering skills and create it!

Genesis SKILLS Suggested Areas of Expertise are in brackets, but players should come up with their own specialties that reflect the character’s personality and background. Animal Handling (Dogs, Fish, Horses, Insects, Primates, Reptiles) Athletics (Acrobatics, Climbing, Jumping, Parachuting, Running, Scuba, Swimming) Convince (Bluff, Charm, Fast Talk, Interrogation, Leadership, Lie, Seduction, Talk Down) Craft (Building, Painting, Farming, Singing, Guitar, Woodwork, Metalwork, Dancing) Fighting (Block, Club, Feints, Knife, Parry, Sword, Throws, Unarmed Combat) Knowledge (Anthropology, History, Language, Law, Literature, Psychology, Sociology) Marksman (Automatic Weapons, Bow, Mounted Weapons, Pistol, Rifle, Thrown Weapons, Tranquillizer Gun) Medicine (Disease, Forensics, Poisons, Psychological Trauma, Surgery, Veterinary Medicine, Wounds)

2

Science (Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Mathematics, Parapsychology, Physics) Subterfuge (Camouflage, Lock-picking, Pickpocketing, Safe-cracking, Sleight of Hand, Sneaking) Survival (Arctic, Desert, Jungle, Mountain, Swamp, Wilderness) Technology (Electrics, Gadgetry, Repair, Robotics) Transport (Aircraft, Auto-gyros, Boats, Cars, Motorcycles, Submersibles, Trucks, Zeppelins)

Skills List Above is a list of the Skills in pulp fantastic. Each Skill describes the areas it covers and how it is used. For details on actual Skill rolls, see p. 128 of Chapter 7: Action. Within each Skill there are suggestions for how they are used, as well as a list of possible Trappings and Areas of Expertise. Remember, this is not exhaustive, and the Gamemaster and players should feel free to add Areas of Expertise (or even whole Skills) if it best suits their game.

Animal Handling The Animal Handling skill is used when dealing with animals of all shapes and sizes, from riding a horse to calming a rampaging bull-elephant. It covers body language (how to appear non-threatening or dominant), an understanding of animal behavior, basic veterinary medicine, and how to tame and train an animal. When trying to calm an animal down or convince it to do something, you use Presence. When trying to work something out about an animal, like trying to guess what made those tracks, you’d use Ingenuity. At higher skill levels, Animal Handling crosses over with Science (zoology or biology) and Survival. Areas of Expertise: Dogs, Horses, Reptiles, Insects, Fish, Primates. Trappings: You’ve probably got a pet or two – or ten. You’ve also got all-weather clothing and any special equipment you need to care for animals.

Athletics The Athletics skill covers fitness, physical training and agility. It often complements Strength and Coordination – a character with a high Coordination but a low Athletics is naturally dextrous but isn’t trained in using their talents properly. Any physical or straining activity the character may have to perform may be covered by Athletics. However, blocking a swung fist may be accomplished with the Fighting Skill (paired with Coordination), whichever is more ap-

RIDING? You could make a good argument for riding being an Area of Expertise for Animal Handling – it’s all about working with the animal, establishing a rapport, and learning to read the animal’s body language. You could also say riding comes under Athletics – it’s about balance, pulling on reins, movement and so on. Therefore, you can take Riding as an Area of Expertise under either skill. The two different forms of riding are slightly different – it’s the difference between, say, the Horse Whisperer and a champion jockey – but are close enough to be interchangeable. Also you could make a case for Weird Science this way as well, due to its very nature it could be an Area of Expertise for Science, but it could also be one for Technology. If you wanted to apply it to the theoretical aspects of the topic, then it would be an Area of Expertise for Science, but if its applied to new gadgets and equipment, then it would be an Area of Expertise for Technology. 39

Pulp Fantastic propriate to the situation. As a basic rule of thumb, if it’s physical, it’s Athletics. If it’s combat, it’s the Fighting Skill.

SETUP

Areas of Expertise: Running, Jumping, Acrobatics, Climbing, Parachuting, Diving, Swimming. Trappings: If you’ve got an Area of Expertise, then you’ve got whatever specialized equipment is associated with that field. For example, if you’re a deep sea diver, then you have your own diving suit, helmet and weights, and you may have your own oxygen pump and boat.

Convince The best used-car salesperson in the world has high levels of the Convince Skill. As you may have guessed, Convince is all about getting people to do what you want. You can use this to win an argument, to sway people to your way of thinking, to bluff that you’re meant to be in this cultist temple or that you’re perfectly entitled to have pitched a Nazi out of a zeppelin because he had no ticket. It can mean you’re a convincing liar, or just the most commanding military leader. Most of the time, Convince rolls are resisted. After all, you’re trying to change someone’s mind. Convince is usually paired with, and resisted by, Presence or Resolve. Areas of Expertise: Fast Talk, Bluff, Leadership, Seduction, Interrogation, Charm, Lie, Talk Down. Trappings: Clothes make the man – a high Convince means you’ve got a good wardrobe, while someone who specializes in lying and deceit might have a selection of disguises.

ROLE-PLAY VS ROLL-PLAY Convince is used for many types of social interaction, from convincing someone that the lies you are telling are the truth, to convincing them you are a sincere and trustworthy person. Many social interactions will rely on the Convince Skill, but it shouldn’t be as simple as rolling dice and getting what you want. The Gamemaster should encourage players to act out the dialogue, the amusing lines and the attempts at bluffing. If their lines at the game table are good enough, the Gamemaster may apply bonuses to the roll or reward the players with Story Points. The same can also be said, however, for being less than convincing, and penalties may be imposed if your story is patently ridiculous. Penalties should not be given for simply being unable to come up with cool and witty lines or being unable to fast talk their way out of a situation.

Craft Craft is an all-encompassing Skill that covers all manners of talents. Whether the character is good with their hands and can carve an ornate chess set from wood, or maybe just great at playing the guitar or singing, all of these are covered by the Craft Skill. However, if the character is a blacksmith, their metalworking may be great but if they try to use their Craft Skill for something very different to 40

their Area of Expertise, weaving for example, the players can expect some penalties to be imposed by the Gamemaster. (If you don’t have the Skill needed for an Area of Expertise, you should still decide what sort of Craft you have.) If you’re building something like a barricade to keep the Radium Men out, you use Craft. Coupled with Technology, you can use Craft to assemble devices like Herr Doktor Todeskopf’s clock-work Assassin Spiders. Areas of Expertise: Building, Painting, Farming, Singing, Guitar, Woodwork, Metalwork, Dancing, Literature. Trappings: If you make things, you’ve got a studio or workshop, along with the tools you need. If you’re a performer, then you’ve got instruments. Either way, you also have contacts related to your field.

Fighting Fighting as a Skill covers all forms of close combat. Whether this is with fists, feet, swords, axes or cat claws, Fighting is the Skill used (usually paired with Strength, but some martial arts use Coordination instead). Any combat that involves weapons that fire (like rifles, dart guns or even the trusty bow and arrow) uses the Marksman Skill. This is purely for when it gets up close and personal. Fighting can be used with Strength to not only land a punch, but also to block that nasty jab. Areas of Expertise: Unarmed Combat, Parry, Block, Throws, Feints, Sword, Club, Knife. Trappings: Martial arts gear, possibly a collection of weapons.

Knowledge This is a broad and almost all-encompassing Skill that covers most areas of knowledge. The exceptions are those covered specifically by other Skills such as Medicine, Technology or Science. Knowledge usually covers what those in education usually call the humanities, such as law, sociology, psychology, archeology, history, literature, or languages. The Skill is most often paired with the Ingenuity Attribute. (If you don’t have the Skill needed for an Area of Expertise, you should still decide what sort of Knowledge you have.) Areas of Expertise: History (choose an era), Anthropology, Law, Psychology, Language (select a specific language), Literature, Sociology. Trappings: If your skill is only 3 or less, you’ve got a few books related to your Area of Expertise, if any. With a skill of 4 or more, you know experts in the field personally, and have a small library of reference works at home. You might even have a job in that field.

Marksman Violence isn’t the answer to every situation, but firepower is often the best fallback position and when you speak softly it often pays to carry a big stick. The Marksman Skill

Genesis LEARNED SKILLS AND INSTINCT While we’re talking of parrying and blocking, let’s just mention the difference between a learned skill and a reaction or instinctual act. There are a couple of areas where the difference between a Skill roll or an Attribute roll can be a little confusing. One is blocking/parrying and dodging. The other is noticing something. Blocking and Parrying is a learned skill. Anyone who has done martial arts or fencing will know that learning to block or parry an attack takes knowledge and skill. When blocking or parrying in the game, you’ll be using Strength and Fighting. Dodging is another matter - a lot of it depends upon natural reactions and instinct. When it comes to dodging gunfire or moving out of the way of a rockfall, you’ll use Attributes only, usually Coordination and Awareness. If you’re a skilled Fighter or martial artist, you’ll be able to bend out of the way of a punch or kick, so you can use Coordination and Fighting to dodge in this case, but you’ll still be using Attributes only when dodging that gunfire or rockfall! It’s tricky, as Gamemaster, which Skill or Attribute combination to be used is down to you. As a guide:

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Punching or Kicking (or any physical attack): Strength + Fighting Blocking or Parrying a physical attack: Strength + Fighting Dodging a physical attack: Coordination + Fighting Dodging gunfire or environmental hazards (if they have chance to see it coming): Awareness + Coordination Dodging gunfire or environmental hazards (if they cannot see it coming): No chance to dodge. Of course, the character has to be aware of the attack to begin with in order to block or dodge. If the character is taken by surprise, or if the attacker is hidden (for example, sniping from a distance), they will be unable to react to it first time. The attack will just be rolled as an unresisted task, against a fixed difficulty to hit defined by the Gamemaster. Noticing or spotting something important is another tricky one that can be used in multiple ways. If the character is not actively looking for something and you want to give the player a chance to see the trained hawk before it attacks, they will have to make an Attribute only roll, usually Awareness and Ingenuity. However, if they’re searching old books for a clue, looking into medical records for information or something like that, if the character’s skills or knowledge comes into play, then it’s Awareness paired with the Skill. As a rough guide: Passively noticing something (not actively looking, but there’s a chance of seeing it): Awareness + Ingenuity Actively looking for something: Awareness + Skill (related to the subject, Knowledge, Medicine, Technology, etc)

COMMON KNOWLEDGE Keeping things simple, and having a lower number of Skills, does mean that some of them, especially Craft, Knowledge, Medicine and Science, require a little bit of adjudication on behalf of the Gamemaster. For example, if the character is a lawyer, their Knowledge Skill will have an Area of Expertise that refer to their knowledge of all things legal, and an archaeologist’s Areas of Expertise will reflect their years of education in history, geology and archeology. If your character is trying to use their Skill for something that is obviously not their Area of Expertise – a classical guitarist trying to craft a bow, for example – the roll will incur some penalties to reflect this. (Even if a character doesn’t have an Area of Expertise, the player should still have some idea of the sort of Knowledge or Science or Craft or Medicine his character knows.) Think of how far removed from the actual knowledge they have is the knowledge they want to use. If it’s fairly similar to something they’d know, whether they have the Area of Expertise or not, but not something they’d obviously know, then a penalty of around -1 or -2 would be apt. If it’s something they’d know nothing about, then the penalty could be a high as -4, the usual penalty for being unskilled. Of course, if it’s something really technical, the Difficulty of the task is going to be suitably high making it hard for them to succeed. A good Gamemaster will put opportunities into the game for characters to use their skills, and avoid making key plot points depend on skills that no-one possesses.

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Pulp Fantastic

SETUP

is used for any weapon that fires a projectile or shoots at a target that is outside of close combat range. For weapons that require physical aiming, such as a gun or manual weapon system, pair Coordination with the Marksman Skill. For other more technical weaponry pair Ingenuity with Marksman, to reflect the more intellectual approach to operating the weapon. Areas of Expertise: Bow, Pistol, Rifle, Automatic Weapons, Sniper, Thrown Weapons, Dart Gun, Mounted Weapons Trappings: At Skill 2 or 3, you may possess a weapon or two of your own, depending on local laws. At Skill 4 or more, you definitely have access to your own weapon, and may be part of a gun club, reserve military unit or other group.

Medicine The Medicine Skill, at low levels, reflects the character’s ability to perform basic first aid, resuscitation or stabilize wounds. At higher levels, they may be medical students, or fully fledged doctors or nurses, even surgeons. Medicine is usually paired with Ingenuity, though if the medical procedure is particularly tricky or requires delicate work, then Coordination can be used. Medicine also reflects other Areas of Expertise, depending upon the background of the character, such as forensic, veterinary medicine or alternative therapies. Areas of Expertise: Disease, Wounds, Poisons, Psychological Trauma, Surgery, Forensics, Veterinary Medicine, Alternative Remedies. Trappings: You’ve got a first aid kit at least. Higher skill levels mean you’ve got a much more extensive kit; at Skill 4 or more, you could be a doctor or surgeon with your own practice.

WHAT DO SKILL RANKS MEAN? What do those skill numbers actual mean? For academic skills like Knowledge, Medicine or Science, it breaks down like this: 1.

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You’re broadly familiar with the topic. For Medicine, you’ve done a first aid course and maybe dated a nurse. For Knowledge or Science, you’ve read a few books on the topic.

Science Science! There are always new and exciting things on the horizon, new aircraft, new war machines, and new ways to entertain people by transmitting through the airwaves. There’s a little crossover with the Medicine and Technology Skills, but if the task requires less repairing either people or gadgets, and more contemplating the wild pseudoscience or in-depth theory, then Science is going to be the Skill of choice. Weird Science is also an Area of Expertise, but characters can only take that area with the Gamemaster’s permission. Areas of Expertise: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Botany, Biology, Parapsychology. Trappings: At lower skill levels, you’ve got a few books and some basic equipment like a microscope. At Skill 3 or more, you either own or have access to a laboratory.

Subterfuge Sneaking around, hiding, and sleight of hand are all covered by Subterfuge. Subterfuge is usually paired with Coordination, or if the task is of a more intellectual nature, Ingenuity can be used, especially for tasks like safe-cracking or devising a suitably effective bit of camouflage. Areas of Expertise: Sneaking, Lock-picking, Sleight of Hand, Pickpocketing, Safe-cracking, Camouflage. Trappings: Dark or camouflage-pattern clothing, lockpicks, maybe even safe-cracking gear and thermite.

Survival This is one Skill that has been lost by the vast majority of modern city-dwellers, who live in a comfortable environment with few natural dangers. The closest we come to hunting and foraging is walking to the neighborhood grocery. The Survival skill was vital to our ancestors. It covers navigation in the wilderness, finding food and water, building shelters, hunting and other ‘primitive’ skills. Areas of Expertise: Desert, Jungle, Swamp, Mountain, Arctic, Wilderness. Trappings: Camping gear, maps, all-weather clothing, hiking boots.

2.

You’ve had some training in the topic, such as a night course or diploma.

3.

You have a graduate degree in the field.

4.

You’ve got a masters in the field, or you’ve got extensive practical experience. You’re an expert in the topic.

5.

You’ve got a PhD and have a lot of experience. If you’re not a university professor or a researcher, then you’re almost certainly working in the field.

Some people are a whiz with gizmos, gadgets and all kinds of new-fangled devices, while others have difficulty tuning the radio in to Fibber McGee and Molly. Technology as a Skill represents the character’s know-how when it comes to all of these things. Whether it is repairing an automobile, disarming a bomb, understanding weird technology or just mending a fuse, Technology, paired with Ingenuity, is the Skill to use.

6.

You’re a household name – or could be. Your name is synonymous with the skill.

Areas of Expertise: Electrics, Gadgetry, Hacking, Repair, Robotics.

Technology

Genesis Weird Technology is also an Area of Expertise, but characters can only take that area with the Gamemaster’s permission. Trappings: If you’ve got an Area of Expertise, then you’ve got a garage or a spare room crammed with spare parts, unfinished projects and reference books related to your hobby.

Transport The Transport skill deals with piloting or driving all sorts of vehicle. Like other broad Skills, knowing how to drive a car doesn’t mean you can pilot a zeppelin, but when it comes to vehicles many are similar enough to give you a good place to start. Steering, accelerator, brakes, what more do you need? If the technology is similar enough, you can probably allow the players to use the Skill without penalty. The only method of transport that isn’t covered by the Transport Skill is riding an animal, such as a horse.

Some Good Traits are very powerful and require the expenditure of a Story Point (or more) to “activate”, whereas some Bad Traits are so dangerous that they give Story Points back when they come up.

Buying Traits Traits are purchased with Character Points. If you don’t have any Character Points left after buying Attributes and Skills, don’t worry. You can ; Go back and reduce an Attribute or Skill to get Character Points back or Take a Bad Trait or

Areas of Expertise: Cars, Trucks, Aircraft, Motorcycles, Submersibles, Zeppelins.

Minor Traits cost a single Character Point to purchase (or provide you with a point if they’re Bad).

Trappings: If your skill is 2 or more, you have your own vehicle. With a Skill of 3 or more and the appropriate Area of Expertise, you’ve got the license to operate the matching vehicle if it’s an unusual one like a Zeppelin.

Major Traits cost two Character Points to purchase, (or provide two points if they’re bad for your character).

Traits Traits are quirks of personality, significant episodes in your past, or unusual talents. They’re special advantages or drawbacks that make your character unique. When the characters are in a situation where a Trait may come into play, it can aid (or hinder) with what they’re doing. Knowing when a Trait comes into play is a tricky one, but basically if you think that the situation could involve a character’s Trait, it should be factored into the game, even if it’s a Bad Trait and will make things harder for the character. If the player is honest, keeping in character for the game and mentioning the Trait, if they bring a Bad Trait into play that you may have forgotten, the player should be rewarded with Story Points. More on those later. Traits are divided by how important they are: a Minor Trait might only come into play once every few weeks, while a Major Trait affects your character constantly. Traits can also be Good or Bad. A Good Trait gives you a bonus to your rolls or some other positive benefit, while a Bad Trait gives a penalty or carries with it some other problem.

Affecting your Character Sometimes, a Trait can effect game-play without you having to roll any dice. Some Traits simply help or hinder the character all of the time. For example, Phobia can hinder their actions if they face the object of their fears, or Code of Conduct can limit their choices in any given situation, just as Tough can save their life in a fight without any dice needing to be rolled. The Trait’s description will give you an idea of how each of the specific Traits work, but if you and the players think the Trait is apt to the situation, then it comes into play.

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Take the Experienced Trait (see the sidebar)

Giving yourself a Bad Trait will give you more points that can either be spent on your Attributes, or even spent on your Skills if you think the character is lacking in any area. Taking a lot of Bad Traits may give you lots of points to spend elsewhere, but it can be very limiting to a character. We’d suggest that the Gamemaster limits the number of Bad Traits that may be taken to 6 points worth. Traits can only be purchased once, unless the Gamemaster approves. In these rare cases, it is only with Traits that can mean multiple things - for example you can have a phobia of rats and spiders (two different Phobia Traits - woe betide anyone with these who meets a rat-spider hybrid!). You cannot purchase a Trait twice that isn’t specific like this - for example you cannot purchase Tough twice because you want to be “super tough”. As a guide, Traits that can be purchased multiple times are marked with an asterisk (*), but multiple purchases must be approved by the Gamemaster. Also, opposing Traits shouldn’t be purchased as they simply cancel each other out. You cannot be both Attractive and Unattractive (though this is fairly subjective), and you cannot be Distinctive and have Face in the Crowd. Some opposing Traits may be purchased if the Gamemaster allows - for example, you could have both Lucky and Unlucky, meaning that your luck is extreme in both cases. Brave can be purchased with Phobia, as you can be brave in the face of everything except the thing you’re secretly scared of. If you can rationalize it, and it makes sense, and the Gamemaster approves, you can purchase almost any Trait you wish. We’ll point out some of these restrictions in the Trait’s descriptive text.

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SETUP

Pulp Fantastic

Traits List

Minions* (Major), page 49

Below is a list of Traits that can be purchased or taken by the character. Each Trait describes its effects upon the character or how it can be used, along with the Trait’s value (whether it is a Minor or Major Trait), either Good or Bad.

Never Gives Up (Major), page 50 Owed Favor (Minor or Major), page 50

The list is by no means exhaustive. If there’s something new you wish to see, as the Gamemaster you have the power to create new Traits from scratch. You will have to assign the new Trait a value (Minor or Major, Good or Bad) and define any features, working with the players to create something cool and interesting. Use the existing Traits as a guide.

Photographic Memory (Major), page 50

We’ve split the following list into Good Traits (first), Bad Traits and then Special Traits.

List of Traits in order For easy reference, the Traits are listed below with page references.

Good Traits

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Pet* (Minor or Major), page 50 Psychic Training (Minor), page 50 Quick Reflexes (Major), page 50 Resourceful Pockets (Minor), page 50 Rumor Mill (Minor), page 50 Sense of Direction (Minor), page 51 Sharpshooter (Minor), page 51 Super Amalgamated (Minor), page 51 Technically Adept (Minor), page 51 Tracker (Minor), page 51

Animal Friendship (Minor), page 46

Tough (Minor or Major), page 51

Attractive (Minor), page 46

Voice of Authority (Minor), page 51

Authority (Minor or Major), page 46

Wealthy (Minor or Major), page 51

Boxing or Bashing (Minor), page 46

Weapon Encyclopedia (Minor), page 51

Brand (Major), page 46

Weird Tech (Minor or Major), page 51

Brave (Minor), page 46

Well Traveled (Minor), page 51

Breaking & Entering (Major) , page 46

Bad Traits

Charming (Minor), page 47

Adversary* (Minor or Major), page 52

Crack Shot (Minor), page 47

Amnesia (Minor or Major), page 52

Easily Underestimated (Minor), page 47

Animal Lover (Minor), page 52

Empathic (Minor), page 47

By the Book (Minor), page 52

Face in the Crowd (Minor), page 47

Clumsy (Minor), page 52

Fast Healer (Major), page 47

Code of Conduct (Minor or Major), page 53

Fast Runner (Minor), page 47

Cowardly (Minor), page 53

Favorite Gun/Gadget (Minor), page 47

Dark Secret (Minor or Major), page 53

Friends* (Minor or Major), page 47

Dependents (Minor or Major), page 53

Gadgeteer (Major), page 48

Dependency (Minor or Major), page 53

Hobby (Minor), page 48

Distinctive (Minor), page 53

Hot Shot (Minor), page 48

Dogsbody (Minor) , page 54

Hypnosis (Minor or Major), page 48

Doomed (Major), page 54

Instinct (Minor)*, page 49

Eccentric (Minor or Major), page 54

Indomitable (Major), page 49

Emotional Complication (Minor or Major), page 54

Keen Senses* (Minor or Major), page 49

Forgetful (Minor), page 54

Linguist (Minor Trait), page 49

Fresh Meat (Minor), page 54

Lucky (Minor or Major), page 49

Good Samaritan (Minor), page 54

Martial Artist (Major), page 49

Hell on Wheels (Minor), page 55

Genesis Impaired Senses* (Minor or Major), page 55

Creature Traits

Impoverished (Minor), page 55

Additional Limbs (Minor Good) , page 196

Impulsive (Minor), page 55

Aggressive (Major Good) , page 196

Insatiable Curiosity (Minor), page 55

Amphibious (Minor Good) , page 196

Maverick (Minor), page 55

Aquatic (Minor Bad), page 196

Obligation (Minor or Major), page 55

Armor (Minor, Major or Special Good) , page 196

Obsession (Minor or Major), page 55

Bite (Minor or Major Good), page 196

Outcast (Minor), page 56

Burrowing (Minor Good), page 196

Owes Favor (Minor or Major), page 56

Claw (Minor Good), page 197

Phobia* (Minor), page 56

Climbing (Minor or Major Good), page 197

Racial Minority (Minor), page 56

Constrict (Minor Good), page 197

Slow Reflexes (Major), page 56

Enhanced Senses (Minor Good), page 197

Slow Runner (Minor), page 56

Environmental (Minor or Major Good), page 197

Strange Visitor (Minor or Major), page 56

Fast-Moving (Minor or Major Good), page 197

Technically Inept (Minor), page 57

Fear Factor (Special Good), page 197

Unattractive (Minor) , page 57

Flight (Minor or Major Good), page 198

Unlucky (Minor or Major), page 57

Frenzy (Minor Bad) , page 198

Weakness (Minor or Major), page 57

Grab (Minor Good) , page 198

Special Traits

Immaterial (Special Bad) , page 198

Experienced, page 57 Fast Healer, page 57 Inexperienced, page 57 Machine Man, page 57 More Than Human, page 58 Psychic, page 58 Robot, page 58 Team Player, page 58 Unusual Background, page 59

Psychic Traits Astral Travel, page 59 Clairvoyance, page 59 Cloud Men’s Minds, page 60 Empathic Aura, page 60 Enlightened, page 60 Possess, page 60 Precognition , page 60 Telekinesis, page 60 Telepathy, page 62

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Immortal (Major or Special Good) , page 198 Immunity (Major Good Trait) , page 199 Infection (Major Good), page 199 Invisible (Special Good), page 199 Leap (Special Good), page 200 Lurker (Minor Good), page 200 Natural Weapons (Minor or Major Good), page 200 Networked (Minor or Major Good), page 200 Nocturnal (Minor Bad), page 200 Passive (Minor Bad), page 200 Poison (Special Good), page 201 Possess (Special Good), page 201 Replication (Major Good), page 201 Savage Roar (Major Good), page 201 Screamer! (Minor Good), page 202 Shapeshift (Minor, Major or Special Good), page 202 Slow-Moving (Minor or Major Good), page 202 Snap (Major Good), page 202 Special (Special Good), page 202 Stalker (Major Good), page 202 Stinger (Minor Good), page 202 45

Pulp Fantastic Stomp (Minor Good), page 202 Strange Appearance (Special Bad), page 203 Teleport (Major Good), page 203 Trample (Major Good), page 203

SETUP

Warning (Major Good), page 203

Good Traits Animal Friendship (Minor Good Trait) Animals like and trust you. Effects: When encountering an animal for the first time, the character may attempt to show it that they mean no harm and distill any aggressive tendencies, giving a +2 bonus to any Animal Handling rolls when trying to tame or calm a creature. Note: You may also want to pick up the Pet trait (see page 52).

Attractive (Minor Good Trait) You’re physically attractive, even beautiful.

Effect: This Trait allows the character to take a free action or reaction in the Combat phase of an Action Round.  This free action does not suffer the normal penalty for taking more than one action per Action Round, and can be an attack, parry, or any other combat related action.  At the GM’s discretion, the character can spend a Story Point to use their ‘free’ action in a different phase, but this must also be somehow related to the combat currently being fought.

Brand (Major Good Trait) The character can imprint his/her brand on someone else’s flesh, or perhaps on an item.  This is often done through a ring, a glove, or an arrow.  This mark either “seals” its victim permanently for all to see as an enemy of the protagonist or marks them as being under their special protection (requiring the Minor Bad Trait “Obligation”).  Brands are usually given on the face, giving the recipient the Minor Bad Trait “Distinctive.”

Note: Cannot be taken with the Unattractive Bad Trait.

Effect: A character who has been branded cannot be seen by anyone who is “Friends” with the protagonist (or indeed, allied with the protagonist in any way) without the interaction immediately turning quite negative for the victim, perhaps forcefully so--though of course, someone might hide their reaction.  In such cases, the victim will also receive a -3 penalty to all rolls involving Convince.

Authority

Brave

(Minor or Major Good Trait)

(Minor Good Trait)

You’re in a position of authority and power.

You’re steadfast and courageous.

Effects: The Minor version of this trait means you’re a police officer, doctor, important public servant, G-man, high-flying magnate or in some other position that lets you order people around in certain circumstances – and if they disobey you, they’ll be in serious trouble.

Effects: The Brave Trait provides a +2 bonus to any Resolve roll to resist the effects of fear. You can also spend a Story Point to automatically resist fear (you can spend this Story Point after you fail a Resolve roll).

The Major version means you’ve got political influence in all sorts of areas. You can pick up the phone and call the Police Commissioner or the President, and they’ll answer. The gm may require you to spend a story point or two if you’re pushing the boundaries of your authority.

Breaking & Entering

Effects: The Attractive Trait comes into play whenever you’re doing something that your looks can influence. You get a +2 bonus to any rolls that involve your stunning good looks, from charming your way past guards to getting information out of someone.

Note: There’s also a Group Trait, Official Sanction, that works like this Trait. The difference is that the Group Trait only applies when you’ll pulling rank on behalf of your group’s officially sanctioned activities, whereas the personal version means you’ve got your own political pull outside the group.

Boxing or Bashing (Minor Good Trait) There are people in this world that have a natural affinity for the fighting arts, and they like to fight. This is the result 46

of intensive training, the love of fighting, the rush of enhanced adreal glands or just experience fighting. In combat the character acts faster and with a greater degree of determination than others.

Note: Cannot be taken with the Cowardly Bad Trait, though individual Phobia Bad Traits can still be purchased. (Major Good Trait) You’ve got a talent for bypassing security and sneaking past guards. Effects: Firstly, this Trait gives a +2 bonus to Subterfuge rolls when trying to get into a guarded building or compound. Secondly, you get to know the difficulty of the test before you roll the dice. For example, if you come to a locked, alarmed door, the gm must tell you the difficulty of disabling the alarm before you roll, so you know whether to make the attempt or back off.

Genesis Charming (Minor Good Trait) You’ve got a way with words and a devilish sparkle in your eye. People want to trust you. Effects: You’ve got a +2 bonus to rolls when you’re trying to convince people to do something they probably shouldn’t.

Crack Shot (Minor Good Trait) You’ve a special knack for hitting things from distance. Perhaps you grew up hunting in the backwoods with your pappy, fired weapons for sport or just have a particular gift for accuracy, but it means that you rarely miss and can literally shoot the wings off a fly. Effect: Crack Shot is a Minor Good Trait, and characters with this gain +2 to their roll when using Marksman for trick shots, like shooting a gun out of an enemy’s hand or firing at a weak spot.

Easily Underestimated (Minor Good) No one takes you seriously.  Maybe it’s a carefully cultivated fiction you’ve created over time, falsely acting like a mild-mannered reporter or a ditzy socialite.  Maybe you’re a minority, or a woman, or you just look young, and nobody expects you to be intelligent and capable.  Whatever the reason, there are actually advantages to being underestimated sometimes... Effect: You receive a +2 bonus to all social conflicts with someone underestimating you.  Additionally, you may end a social conflict dramatically by suddenly confronting another character, replacing the +2 with a free upgrade of one degree of success to your roll; however, the other character will never underestimate you again.  In a physical conflict with someone who still underestimates you, you receive a free upgrade of one degree of success to your roll, but only in your first Action Round.

Empathic (Minor Good Trait) You can read people’s body language and subtle emotional cues very well, giving you an insight into what they’re feeling. Effects: Empathic allows the character a +2 bonus on any rolls when they are trying to empathize or read another person. This could be a simple Presence and Convince roll to reassure someone who’s panicking in the middle of a battle, or an Awareness and Ingenuity roll to try to read the actions and speech of another to see if they’re lying.

Face in the Crowd (Minor Good Trait) When you want them to people tend to overlook you. This could be because you’re very nondescript and a bit bland, or because you’re simply very adept at looking like you belong somewhere.

Effects: As long as you’re not dressing like a clown or anything else too weird, and not doing anything that will attract their attention, people will leave you to go about what you’re doing. If the Gamemaster asks for a roll to “blend in”, the Trait provides a bonus of +2 to any Subterfuge Skill roll when you’re trying to sneak about and not get noticed. Note: Cannot be taken with the Distinctive Bad Trait.

Fast Healer (Major or Special Good Trait) You heal a lot faster than most people. You can recover from injuries that would hospitalize another person with a few night’s rest, and you hardly ever get sick. Effects: You heal 1d6 points of Attributes lost to injury with a night’s rest. The Special Good version of this Trait allows the character to recover 1 Attribute point per minute and costs 3 Character Points.

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Fast Runner (Minor Good Trait) You’re fleet of foot (always useful when you might come face to…well…whatever with an Eldritch Abomination). Effects: Increase your movement speed by 1 when sprinting or fleeing.

Favorite Gun/Gadget (Minor Good Trait) You’ve got a favorite weapon or item. Effects: Once per game session, this trait gives you a free Story Point that must be spent on a roll or action related to your favorite item. You can’t stockpile these Story Points; you get one and only one per game.

Friends* (Minor or Major Good Trait) The Friends Trait can mean a variety of things, but essentially the character has people they can call upon for information or help. Friends can be either a Minor or a Major Trait, depending upon how informative or helpful the friend(s) in question are! When you take this trait, you’ve got to specify what sort of information that these friends have access to. You could have ‘Friends in High Places’, giving you information about the government, or ‘Friends in the University’, who could pass on scientific research and help you analyze something, or ‘Friends in the Underworld’, meaning you know criminals and thieves. You don’t need to pin down exactly who these friends are yet – you can do that during play. Above all, the Trait will not replace investigating something yourself. After all, where’s the fun if you get other people to do all the sneaking around and research for you? However, these Friends are a great source of information researching the background of a place or person that may 47

Pulp Fantastic

SETUP

take a while to uncover, while your character is busy doing something else. This can also be an excellent instigator of fresh and new adventures as the friend tips them off when something is happening. Effects: As a Minor Trait, Friends means that they know someone who knows someone - a “friend of a friend”, but the source (and their information) is usually reliable. It may be that they know a friend who works in the city room of a local newspaper or the mayor’s office who hears things as they’re reported and can steer the character in the direction of strange events. As a Major Trait, the person in the know is far more reliable, and can do more than give information – they can put their influence to good use for you, at the cost of a Story Point. If you’ve got Friends in the Military, for example, you could ‘borrow’ a plane. Friends in Government could intercede on your behalf and get you out of prison.

Gadgeteer (Major Good Trait) You’re a genius when it comes to tweaking spare parts, wiring and machinery to cobble together the most useful gadgets and gizmos. Effects: This Trait allows the character to create Inventions through the fine art of jury-rigging and weird science. Your average Joe can try to open their household appliances and wire them together to try to make something – though they’ll probably only gain an electric shock, a house-fire or worse. Only a Gadgeteer can do this and create a useful device that can open up safes, crack enemy strongholds and zap the bad guy. More details on creating such gizmos can found in the section called Inventions on p. 159. Note: Cannot be taken with the Technically Inept Bad Trait.

Hobby (Minor Good Trait) You’ve got a hobby or interest in a particular narrow field. Effects: This trait gives you an Area of Expertise in a skill without having to have three points in that skill. For example, a character with Science 1 but the hobby ‘Radio Ham’ would have an effective Science of 3 (1+2) when making a roll to identify a call-sign or frequency. You can only take Areas of Expertise related to Athletics, Craft, Knowledge, Science, Technology or Transport as hobbies.

Hot Shot (Minor Good Trait) Some people are naturals when it comes to most forms of transport. They can fly a plane through the harshest of thunderstorms or drive an auto at high speeds without crashing. They are the best of the best when it comes to transportation. Put them in the driving seat and they’re unstoppable. Effects: While operating a vehicle, you get a +2 bonus to Transport rolls when doing difficult stunts like ramming 48

vehicles, jumping over barriers, or crashing through walls. You can also apply the bonus to the speed of the vehicle, as you can get the best performance from it.

Hypnosis (Minor or Major Good Trait) As a Minor Good Trait the character can put people into a mild hypnotic state. As a Major Good Trait, the character can control minds…not the sort of thing a hero would do. Hypnosis can be a useful therapeutic tool or an insidious means of mind control. As a Minor Good Trait, hypnosis allows the character to place a subject in a trance state in which they are highly suggestible and easy to influence. As a Major Good Trait, the character can implant complex commands and specifically influence behavior. Characters with the Major Good version of the Trait can also implant post-hypnotic suggestions that activate at a specific time or in response to specific events, triggers or circumstances. Effect: As a Minor Trait, the character gets a +2 bonus to any social interaction to either calm someone down, or to get them to do what they’d like. The character can implant a short term suggestion, such as helping a subject resist the effects of shock or fear, regain their sanity for a short while or defend themselves against possession or resist psychic attack. The subject cannot be influenced into any dangerous action or behavior contrary to their nature. Suggestions at this level only last for a number of minutes equal to the character’s Resolve. As a Major Trait, hypnosis works the same way, except the character can make the subject do anything he wants if he succeeds in hypnotizing them, unless it’s something intrinsically against their nature or suicidal (in which case the target can make another roll to resist with a +3 bonus). At this level, suggestions last a number of days equal to the hypnotist’s Resolve. For the mechanics of resisting hypnosis, see ‘Being Possessed’, p.133. For full possession and mind control, see the Possess Creature Trait, p. 201.

Genesis Instinct*

Lucky

(Minor Good Trait)

(Minor/Major Good Trait)

You’ve got a habit or trained response that happens before you even think about it.

Lady Luck is on your side. Call it a fluke, call it chance, but fortune is smiling on you.

Effects: State your Instinct when you pick this trait. Your instinct has to be a short habit or response, like ‘I always look for the nearest exit’ or ‘I draw my gun and shoot whenever anything leaps out at me’ or ‘I hit the floor whenever I hear gunfire’. This has two benefits – firstly, you always follow your Instinct. If your Instinct is to keep to the shadows, then you’re always making Coordination + Subterfuge rolls to stay hidden. Secondly, your Instinct happens at Fast speed (see Combat, page 125).

Effect: Characters with the Lucky Trait get a second chance when double “1”s are rolled, and you can re-roll both dice, trying for something better. If you get double “1”s again, well, your luck obviously doesn’t run that far. It doesn’t guarantee a success on your second roll, but there’s a better chance that fate may shine upon you.

Effect: You have a +4 bonus to any rolls to resist being possessed or hypnotized, psychically controlled or similar.

As a Major Trait, your good luck means that every so often, someone else has really bad luck. Once per game session, you can spend a story point to force the gm to re-roll a skill check or attack roll that’s going to hurt you in some way. Say you’re caught in the headlights of a speeding Duesenberg as the Syndicate tries to rub you out! The gm rolls, and the automobile is about to grind you into a fine paste. You invoke your luck, the gm re-rolls – and this time the vehicle is just slow enough for you to fling yourself aside at the last moment!

Keen Senses*

Martial Artist

(Minor/Major Good Trait)

(Major Good Trait)

The character is very aware of their surroundings, whether they have a keen eye for detail and noticing when something is wrong, or a nose for a particular scent, they are particularly perceptive and this is always a good thing when tracking a foe or expecting trouble.

You’ve got a black belt in one or more martial arts. You can kick ass with the best of them.

Indomitable (Major Good Trait) The character has a determination and an iron will.

Effects: The Keen Senses Trait awards a +2 bonus to Awareness rolls. As a Minor Trait the player should specify which of the character’s senses is particularly keen. In this case the bonus only applies to the use of that one sense, whether it is sight, hearing, sense of smell or taste. Only one sense can be chosen - more than one, and it’s the Major Trait. As a Major Trait, the +2 bonus applies in any instance when using Awareness to notice or spot something, no matter what sense is being used. Note: Cannot be taken with the Impaired Senses Bad Trait in the same sense, although different ones can be taken. For example, you could have Keen vision, but be slightly hard of hearing.

Linguist* (Minor Good Trait) Characters with this Trait have a talent for language and communication. This may be due to education, a natural affinity or just the result of a life of travel and adventure.

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Effects: You’ve got to have a Fighting score of 3 or more, and take an Area of Expertise in a martial art before you can buy this trait. You inflict +2 damage when you punch or kick someone, and you can use your Coordination instead of your Strength score to work out your unarmed damage.

Minions* (Major Good Trait) You’ve got henchmen! You command a squad of loyal soldiers, or have a staff, or even a number of cloned minions. Effect: Pick the sort of minions you want (soldiers, scientists, researchers, workers) when you take this trait. If you take the trait multiple times, you can choose to have multiple different types of minions, or at the gm’s discretion you could have a higher quality of minion. These minions will follow your orders and perform tasks for you. You’re the one in charge, though – you can’t send minions off to do the adventuring and investigating for you. They’re best suited to guarding key locations, doing background research, or standing around looking menacing. Minions have 25 character points to buy Attributes, Skills and Traits per level of the Trait assigned to them.

Effect: Characters with this Trait know two languages in addition to their native language. This Trait can be taken multiple times, bestowing two additional languages to the character each time.

If one or two of your Minions get killed, you’ll be able to pick up replacements before the next adventure. If all your Minions get killed because of a bad decision you made, then you don’t get replacements.

A character with this Trait can also understand a new language by spending a Story Point and succeeding on a Ingenuity + Knowledge roll (Difficulty set by the gm based on the language’s similarity to those known by the character).

(There’s also a Group Trait that gives Minions. Those Minions work the same way, but they’re not personally loyal to you.) 49

Pulp Fantastic Never Gives Up (Major Good Trait)

SETUP

You’ve got true grit. When the chips are down and it seems like all hope is lost, you somehow keep going.

(Minor or Major Good Trait)

Similarly, if you want to remember something that you haven’t actively committed to memory, there’s a chance it may be stored in there somewhere along with last week’s shopping list or the phone number of that sassy waitress from the diner down the street. To recall something vital that you may have glanced at or possibly missed altogether, you can spend a Story Point to remember the important clue you may have seen out of the corner of your eye.

Someone owes you a favor.

Note: Cannot be taken with the Forgetful Bad Trait.

Effect: As a Minor Trait, this means they owe you a small favor – a few thousand dollars, an introduction to someone important, a loan of their car when you need it. You can get help from the person who owes you the favor a few times before it’s repaid. Alternatively, you can turn the Minor Favor into another Minor Trait as repayment in the course of play.

Psychic Training

Effect: You aren’t knocked out or incapacitated when one of your Attributes reaches zero. You can still act with one or two Attributes at zero, but you’ll be groggy and slow. If three Attributes are reduced to zero, then you’re probably going to die.

Owed Favor*

The Major Trait version means someone owes you their life, their health, their career or something equally important. This means that they’ll always be willing to do you minor favors in return, for the rest of their life. Alternatively, you can call in your big favor to get something equally important in exchange, turning it into another Major Trait in the course of play. For example, if you save a millionaire’s life, she’d owe you a big favor. You could then trade this favor for the Wealthy Major Good Trait.

Pet* (Minor or Major Good Trait) You’ve got a trained pet! Effect: This trait gives you a faithful, loyal animal companion. At the Minor level you have a small, harmless creature like a trained rat that isn’t much good in a fight, but it could distract a bad guy at the right moment, squeak a warning or track a mobster. At the Major level your pet could be a bigger creature – a guard dog, a war horse, a mountain gorilla – that can attack people on command or carry a rider. The downside of a big pet is that it’s hard to bring it with you to most places. Few restaurants admit wolfhounds, let alone great apes.

Photographic Memory (Major Good Trait) With just a few seconds of concentration, the character can commit something to memory to be instantly recalled when the time is important. People with the Photographic Memory Trait rarely have problems passing exams, and can remember exact lines from books. Effect: The Photographic Memory Trait can be used in a couple of different ways. If you know you’re going to have to remember something at a later time, such as the combination to a lock or the instructions to program a calculating engine, you can spend a moment to take the infor50

mation in and commit it to memory. If you want to recall the information, you can without having to roll, but you must have declared that you’ve taken the time to concentrate and remember it at the time.

(Minor Good Trait) The technique allows the character to resist psychic manipulation or trickery. Effect: The character has a +2 bonus to Resolve rolls when trying to resist psychic attack or deception.

Quick Reflexes (Major Good Trait) You’re fast to act when things happen, reacting to situations almost instinctively. It doesn’t mean you cannot be surprised - if you don’t know something’s coming you can’t react to it - but when something attacks or falls towards you, you’re often the first to react to it. Effects: Your Co-Ordination counts as being two higher for the purposes of working out who goes first. Better yet, if you spend a Story Point, you can act as though you were a Fast creature for one round. Note: Cannot be taken with the Slow Reflexes Bad Trait.

Resourceful Pockets (Minor Good Trait) There’s a chance that you’ve got something useful on your person that could get you out of a sticky situation. Effect: Either spend a Story Point and find the thing you need or roll two dice. If you get a ‘double’ then you find something helpful.

Rumor Mill (Minor Good Trait) You’ve got your ear to the grapevine, or you’ve got contacts in the media, or you spend all your time eavesdropping on shady conversations in criminal hangouts. Either way, when something odd happens, you hear about it. Effects: With this trait, you can get a hint once per adventure, as if you’d spent a Story Point for help from the gm (see page 137). This hint comes from the press and your knowledge of the weird, so it may only be indirectly helpful. The gm may also give you plot hooks and rumors that you pick up from your contacts.

Genesis Sense of Direction (Minor Good Trait) You always know which way is north, even without a compass. You rarely get lost. Effects: You get a +2 bonus to any rolls (usually Awareness, Ingenuity or Survival) related to finding your way in unfamiliar terrain.

Sharpshooter (Minor Good Trait) If you’ve got time to line up a shot, you make it count. Effects: You can make an extra Aiming action, as per the rules on page 124. So, if you aim for two rounds and fire on the third round, you get to add the bonuses from both your Aiming actions to your shot.

Super Amalgamated (Minor Good Trait) You read a lot, and have a tendency to use large words. You live by the philosophy of why use a fifty cent word, when a two-dollar word will do. In the event of your reading you pick up several tidbits of information, about subjects across the board…from Archeology to Law. Effects: This Trait gives the character a +2 bonus to any roll (usually Intelligence and Knowledge) to determine the result of any Knowledge roll.

The Minor version of Tough reduces the amount of damage that would normally be deducted from the character’s Attributes by 2. Having Major Toughness reduces damage by 3. This is after any other effects, such as armor, are taken into account.

Tracker (Minor Good Trait) You’re accomplished at following animal tracks and surviving outdoors. Effects: This Trait gives you a +2 bonus to any rolls to follow tracks and animal trails.

Voice of Authority (Minor Good Trait)

Effect: This is a Minor Trait and provides you with a +2 bonus to Presence and Convince rolls to try to get people to do as you like or to gain their trust. The Gamemaster may modify this to suit the situation.

Wealthy

Technically Adept

(Minor or Major Good Trait)

(Minor Good Trait)

Put simply, you’ve got money.

You have an innate connection to technology, and technology is your friend. Your guesses usually turn out to be correct and you can fix things just by hitting them! You’re skilled enough to operate and repair most things with limited tools, taking half the time it normally takes. Often, if the device stopped working within thirty minutes, you can restart it just by thumping it. It may not last long, but long enough…

Effects: The Minor version of this trait just means you’re comfortably wealthy – you’ve got a nicer place to live, a flash car, an expensive wristwatch and so on. You can pick up Uncommon items without any problems.

Effect: The Technically Adept Trait provides you with +2 to any Technology roll to fix a broken or faulty device, and to use complex gadgets or equipment. It also gives you a bonus of +1 Progress every time you roll to build a new gadget (see page 159). Note: Cannot be taken with the Technically Inept Bad Trait.

Tough (Minor or Major Good Trait) Not everyone can take a punch on the nose and brush it off as if nothing had happened. Few people can take getting shot or stabbed, tortured or wounded in the course of their everyday lives. However, people with the Tough Trait are just that. They’re used to the adventure, can takes the knocks and brush it off. Effect: The Tough Trait reduces the amount of injury a character sustains if wounded during the course of the adventure.

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When you talk, people listen to you. It may be because you were once part of the services or a figure of authority - a doctor, a politician, a military commander or in the police force for example. Thanks to this, people will pay more attention to you when you talk to them. This is especially handy when you’re trying to clear an area because of some approaching danger, to order people about or simply try to gain their trust.

The Major version means you’re stinking rich. You never need to worry about money for most activities, can buy Rare items, and can throw huge bribes around by spending Story Points. This trait works like the Wealthy Base Trait. Note: This trait cannot be taken with the Impoverished Trait.

Weapons Encyclopedia (Minor Good Trait) A character has the ability to recall the vital statistics and important quirks of practically all known commercially available weapons. This includes, but is not limited to, its general level of reliability as well as all vital statistics — material composition, ammunition capacity, caliber, possible outfitted accessories, etc. Effect: Weapons Encyclopedia also includes knowledge on acquiring weapons, so characters will have a +2 to any checks needed to determine the weapon type, locate or buy weapons.

Weird Tech* 51

Pulp Fantastic (Minor or Major Good Trait)

SETUP

You’ve found a piece of working weird technology, either from the arsenal of a mad genius, the depths of a ruined temple or from some other obscure source. Effects: Consult with the gm about what sort of weird technology you’ve found. Something that’s basically the same as a present-day device, only smaller and more efficient (like a miniature calculating engine, a ring-mounted gas gun or a jet-turbine you can wear on your back) is a Minor Trait. An item that does something that’s impossible, like a matter transmitter or a pocket watch that stops time, is a Major item. This trait means you just possess the item – it doesn’t mean you know exactly how to control it or how it works.

Well Traveled* (Minor Good Trait) The character is an experienced traveler and is familiar with the society and technology of cultures different to their own. The Well Traveled Trait reflects how much actual traveling the character has done. Effect: Select the general area to which the character has traveled (Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, etc). The character has a +2 bonus to any knowledge rolls involving this area. The Gamemaster may award this Trait during play if you become particularly familiar with a certain area, era or Tech Level.

Effect: As a Minor Bad Trait, Amnesia means that the character has lost a portion of their memory. It could be as small as a couple of days, weeks or even a couple of years, but the character (and the player) will have no idea of what happened to them in that time. As a Major Bad Trait, this Amnesia is total, the character having no memory of their past, or even who they really are. Events, sights, sounds or even smells can trigger memories of their lost time, and this is a great source of adventure ideas for the Gamemaster - over many adventures the character can uncover more and more of their “lost time”. Of course, this adds to the work the Gamemaster has to do, coming up with the character’s lost memories, so the Amnesia Trait should be approved by the Gamemaster before purchasing it.

Animal Lover (Minor Bad Trait) You can’t stand to see animals hurt.

Bad Traits

Effect: If you do nothing when an animal is being injured or in pain, you lose Story Points. How many is up to the gm. If attacked by an animal you can still fight back to save your life, or the lives of innocents, but you must always try to find non-harmful solutions first.

Adversary*

By the Book

(Minor/Major Bad Trait)

(Minor Bad Trait)

You’ve got an enemy – either a single resourceful individual, like Herr Doktor Todeskopf, or a whole organization like the Tong of the Black Scorpion. Your enemy is actively trying to thwart your plans or even kill you. This time, it’s personal.

You follow the rules, even when it’s against your best interest.

Effect: Adversary can be a Minor or a Major Bad Trait depending upon the power and frequency of the Adversary’s appearance. Todeskopf on his own would be a Minor enemy – he can cause trouble, but he’s just one mad old man and isn’t that dangerous. Todeskopf with the backing of his army of Radium Men would definitely count as Major. If you take this Bad Trait, you’re basically putting a big ‘Kick Me’ sign on your character. The gm is encouraged to go out of his way to have your Adversary cause trouble for you. They know who you are, they know your weaknesses, and they know how to hurt you.

Amnesia (Minor or Major Bad Trait) Memory is a fragile thing that can easily be manipulated or lost entirely. The Amnesia Trait means that some or even all of the character’s memories have gone. This could be a deliberate thing, with the memories being erased by 52

those with the proper technology, or accidental, but the memories are gone and the character has “holes” in their past. They may return in time, with the right triggers, but for the time being there are holes in their past that they know nothing about.

Effect: You follow proper protocols at all times. This has good and bad points – on the plus side, you’ve got a +2 bonus to Resolve rolls to resist influences that might distract you from your duties. The downside is that you’re a stickler for following written instructions and official policy – if you disobey the orders of a superior officer, breach the rules of your organization, or even skip the boring paperwork, it costs you Story Points. Note: Cannot be taken with the Maverick Bad Trait.

Clumsy (Minor Bad Trait) Sometimes, it seems as if you’re unable to keep hold of things and you keep tripping over the smallest hazard. Effect: In times of stress, especially when being chased, you’ll have to make additional Awareness and Coordination rolls to avoid knocking vital things over, dropping the vial of toxic chemicals or tripping up and landing on their face when being chased by villains.

Genesis Code of Conduct

Dependents

(Minor or Major Bad Trait)

(Minor or Major Bad Trait)

The Code of Conduct Trait means that your character adheres to a strict moral standing or self imposed set of rules they follow at all times. While this is listed as a Bad Trait, it doesn’t mean that having a Code is Bad; just that it can restrict your actions and limit your choices. Being a good person is often the harder option, but it means you’re a better person for it.

You’ve got responsibilities outside the fight for truth and justice, or you’re trying to maintain a normal life despite the weirdness and secret conspiracies you continually stumble into. Maybe you’ve got a boyfriend or girlfriend who doesn’t know your secret identity, or maybe you’ve even got kids or an aged parent to take care of.

Effect: As a Minor Trait, Code of Conduct means that the character tries to do good at most times, and are unable to harm another being unless it is absolutely necessary and for the greater good. As a Major Trait, their code of limits their actions dramatically, meaning they strive to do their best at every moment, almost verging on the saintly! The player should discuss the character’s own unique Code of Conduct with the Gamemaster when they take this Trait, as breaking it may be very costly resulting in the loss of some or all of their Story Points! It is usually not this drastic, but breaking a serious Code of Conduct is not something to be done lightly and players who purchase the Trait and then do not adhere to it will have to learn their costly mistake.

Cowardly (Minor Bad Trait) Running away is an instinctive response for you. When danger threatens, you head for the hills! Effect: The Cowardly Trait reduces the character’s chance to resist getting scared, suffering a -2 penalty to any Resolve rolls against fear. Note: Cannot be taken with the Brave Good Trait.

Dark Secret (Minor or Major Bad Trait) You’ve got a skeleton in your closet and if it’s revealed it could change the way people think about you.

Effect: As a Minor Trait, your dependent shows up once every few stories, and you’ve got to take steps to protect them or conceal the truth from them. A little-seen fiancee in another state is a Minor Dependent; by contrast, a nosy kid-brother could cause enough bother to be a Major Dependent. Major Dependents get themselves into trouble regularly, or force you to take constant precautions to preserve your secrets.

2

Dependency (Minor or Major Bad Trait) Sometimes you just rely on others. Having the Dependency Trait means they are dependent upon something or someone to survive. The level of the trait determines how desperate they will get, and how bad the effects will be, if they can’t get their fix. Dependency is a Bad Trait and gives the character more points at character creation, but players should be careful not to take such a high Dependency that their character becomes too difficult to play. Effect: As a Minor Bad Trait, the Dependency isn’t too debilitating. They can go for extended periods without their needs getting in the way. If the Gamemaster decides it’s appropriate, the character may suffer a -2 penalty to their actions. However, as a Major Trait, they are unable to survive without their dependency. If they go without it for any period of time (defined by the Gamemaster and the player) they suffer a -4 penalty to every action. This could be because they’re unable to think of anything else, or because they’re unable to act properly without help.

Distinctive (Minor or Major Bad Trait)

Effect: Dark Secret can be either a Minor or a Major Bad Trait, depending upon the severity of the reaction should the secret be revealed. Something that would negatively affect people’s relations with you is only a Minor trait (for example, you had an affair with a notorious femme fatale), but something that would completely change your status in the game is Major (say, if it was discovered that you were still seeing the femme fatale and passing her information about the group, or perhaps that you and the femme fatale have a child).

There is something very striking or obvious about the character that makes them stand out in the crowd. Whether they are just tall, short, have colored hair, bronze skin or are just striking in their appearance, they get noticed and people seem to remember them. Maybe they have a memorable habit; perhaps they constantly play with a lucky coin, or make a peculiar trilling sound when concentrating. They’re not going to provoke people pointing and staring, but they’ll certainly be remembered and recognized if encountered again.

It’s probably best for the player to discuss what the Dark Secret actually is with the Gamemaster, possibly before they start creating their character, just so the player really does have to keep the secret from the other players – they may not want to write it on the character sheet, so they can’t look at it and see what they’ve been hiding!

Effect: If the character is trying to “blend in” or go unnoticed in a crowd, if a roll is required they will receive a -2 penalty to the result. It’s also easier for other people to remember them after the event. With the Major version of this Trait the character isn’t just memorable, but is famous and is recognizable even to 53

Pulp Fantastic people who have only heard of him or her. Their whereabouts are regularly covered by the press and they receive a -4 penalty to attempts to go unnoticed. Note: Cannot be taken with the Face in the Crowd Trait.

Dogsbody

SETUP

(Minor Bad Trait) You’re at the bottom of the totem pole. You might be low-ranking in your organization or just eternally unlucky when it comes to work. Every boring or menial job gets palmed off on you. You’re always the one mucking out the yeti cage, and yetis smell bad! Effect: You have a -2 penalty to any attempts to order people around in your organization. You’ll also always be given the worst jobs. Note: You can get this Trait temporarily as a punishment for disobedience or screwing up.

Doomed (Major Bad Trait) All things end, but some Pulp heroes know that it is going to end badly

(Minor or Major Bad Trait) You’ve got baggage of some sort that may complicate your life. Maybe you bear a grudge against someone. Maybe you suffer from depression. Maybe you’re secretly in love with another player character. Whatever your emotional complication is, it’s hard to ignore feelings when they’re this strong. Effect: As a Minor Trait, your emotions get in the way but don’t stop you doing your job. Every so often, you have to deal with issues arising from them (or pay a Story Point to override your emotional drives). As a Major Trait, then the emotion dominates your life. It consumes you, fills you, and may be your downfall. You can’t act rationally when something triggers your complication.

Forgetful (Minor Bad Trait) Rather than the lack of memory that Amnesia brings, Forgetful means that your memory is less than reliable. You tend to forget things if you’re distracted or focused elsewhere, like the classic absent-minded professor.

Effect: In some way, your character’s end is sealed. It may be the result of a terminal diagnosis, a terrible curse, some form of hereditary affliction or the result of an inescapable prophecy, but your character has a limited shelf-life and time is running out. The nature of the Doom that awaits the character should be worked out broadly with the Gamemaster, and can be invoked at any time.

Effect: When you’ve got to recall something important, like how to disarm a bomb, you’ve got to pay a Story Point to remember it in time.

Note: This Trait is better suited for barbarian warriors, jungle kings, mystics and other fantastical characters. gms who invoke a character’s Doom should take care to ensure that it is never meaningless (unless that is in itself the meaning of the Doom). Players who take this Bad Trait are signing the ultimate death warrant for their character, but should gain role-playing opportunities as a result.

(Minor Bad Trait)

Eccentric

Effect: Firstly, any attempts to use Subterfuge to hide from predators suffer a -2 penalty if they can smell you. Secondly, given a choice, any hungry flesh-eater is going to snack on you instead of anyone else nearby. In a bar fight, you’re the first one to get punched. You’re always target number one.

(Minor or Major Bad Trait) You’re just a bit odd. Your personality is off-putting or strange, and that can make you hard to work with. Effect: The Minor version of this trait means you’ve got an oddity that crops up every so often – you get tongue-tied around women, you refuse to get mud on your shoes even when chasing a gangster through a swamp, you hum loudly when nervous. It’s inconvenient or annoying, but doesn’t happen often. The Major version means that your eccentricity interferes with your life on a regular basis – you might be extremely paranoid, insufferably rude, addicted to alcohol, or have some other trait that puts you at odds with everyone else. Maybe you’re just a jerk.

54

Emotional Complication

Note: Cannot be taken with the Photographic Memory Trait.

Fresh Meat Something about you smells good to meat-eating predators, thugs and things that bite. Lions, tigers, bears, sharks, piranhas, wolves, yetis and dinosaurs all want to eat you. Mosquitoes swarm around you. Bullies and thugs just want to beat the tar out of you. Even carnivorous plants think you’re delicious.

Good Samaritan (Minor Bad Trait) You can’t stand to see people hurt, oppressed or mistreated. Effects: If you stand by and do nothing when someone is being injured or in pain, you lose Story Points. The number of Story Points is up to the gm.

Genesis Hell on Wheels

Insatiable Curiosity

(Minor Bad Trait)

(Minor Bad Trait)

You’re hard on vehicles. Things break around you.

A little like the Impulsive Trait, this really just means that the character doesn’t know when to stop themselves when it comes to their curiosity. This is a good Trait for newshounds, cops and other professional busybodies.

Effect: Vehicles tend to crash, explode or break down around you. If you’re in a vehicle that’s hit by another, crashes into an obstacle, or is involved in a failed skill check, the vehicle is more likely to break down, run out of fuel, smash a key component or otherwise become unusable. The exact effects of this trait are decided on a case-by-case basis by the gm, but get used to walking home.

Impaired Senses* (Minor/Major Bad Trait)

Effect: This is another Minor Bad Trait that rewards playing in character and remembering your curious nature. It is usually unhelpful, but you simply have to know where or what is going on, why something is happening or how it works. It may put your life at risk, but it doesn’t make you suicidal. You just take a few chances to find things out.

The Impaired Senses Trait means that the character is lacking in one of their senses. Whether this is the need for glasses, a hearing aid or being color blind, their use of the sense is less than your average person. When selecting this Trait, the player should choose which sense is affected.

Maverick

Effect: Discussing with the Gamemaster, the player should choose which sense is effected, as well as the severity of the impairment. Minor Bad Traits would be: no sense of smell, colorblind, no sense of taste, needing to wear glasses or needing a hearing aid. Without their glasses or hearing aid, Awareness rolls using these senses suffer a -2 penalty.

Effect: Again, this Bad Trait affects your behavior. If you’re told to do things one way by a superior, you instinctively want to do the opposite. You’ve got to pay a story point to resist the compulsion to disobey orders even when it’s in your best interest to comply.

Major Bad Traits would be losing a sense that impacts on their everyday actions, such as blindness or deafness. Though this may make difficult to get involved in major action scenes and may be best suited for NPCs, or experienced players. Note: Cannot be taken with with Keen Senses, unless the Keen Sense is Minor and then in a Sense that isn’t Impaired.

Impoverished (Minor Bad Trait) You’re strapped for cash. Either you’re unemployed or underpaid, or you’ve got debts, or maybe you just waste your money on slow horses. Effect: You’ve got very little money. You may be living in poverty, or sleeping on a friend’s couch. If you spend more than a trivial money during the game, it costs you a Story Point. For example, you can buy a cup of coffee without any problem, but hiring that boat to chase after a kidnapper? That’ll cost a Story Point. Note: Cannot be taken with the Wealthy Trait.

Impulsive (Minor Bad Trait) “Why worry, it’ll be fine, let’s go!” The impulsive sort do not think things through very well before acting and are likely to leap before they look. It doesn’t mean they have a death wish, far from it, it’s just that they do things on a whim and usually regret it. Effect: If an opportunity arises to charge in without looking, and you don’t take it, it costs you a Story Point.

2

(Minor Bad Trait) You’ve got a problem with authority. Anyone ordering you around puts your hackles up.

Obligation (Minor or Major Bad Trait) You’ve got a duty to an organization, or a debt to a friend, or a sense of responsibility towards a cause. Whatever the nature of the obligation, it affects you deeply. Effect: As a Minor Trait, Obligation means you have a regular job, or are obliged to help a friend when they need it. It won’t affect your ability to run around chasing bad guys that often, but conflicts will crop up every few weeks. Failing to honor your obligation costs you a story point As a Major Trait, Obligation means the organization is more important than the character, or you owe your life to someone. If the other person says jump, you jump. Breaking this obligation will cost you dearly.

Obsession (Minor or Major Bad Trait) Your obsession consumes your life. It could be as small as a compulsion for cleanliness, order or justice, or it could be as grand as an insane scheme to wipe out humankind by igniting the atmosphere and then reseeding the Earth with your private menagerie of “improved” plant and animal species. Either way, it drives everything you do. Effect: As a Minor Bad Trait, it means you’ve got a compulsion of some sort, a nervous habit or obsessive tic like always washing your hands or always worrying about disease or demanding that you be the driver of any vehicle you travel in. It’s annoying, but not especially hard to handle. The gm might demand a Story Point off you if you’re forced to overcome your compulsion. 55

Pulp Fantastic As a Major Trait, your obsession drives everything you do. You’ve a +2 to Resolve for any skill rolls related to accomplishing your obsession, but you find it hard to do anything that doesn’t further your crazy goal. This trait is really only suitable for NPCs and villains.

Outcast

SETUP

(Minor Bad Trait) The character has done something that means that a group, race, or nation has shunned them or views them with fear, dread or loathing. Effect: The player should discuss with the Gamemaster what the character has done and who regards them with such dislike or dismissal. Anyone that could react negatively to their presence should make an Awareness and Ingenuity roll initially to recognize them. If the character is recognized, they’ll suffer a -2 penalty on all social rolls (such as trying to Convince or to even share their knowledge). If the ‘something’ they’ve done is more severe than this, they should take a Major Dark Secret Bad Trait instead.

Owes Favor (Minor or Major Bad Trait) You owe someone a favor. It can be as simple as owing money to someone, or as big as owing someone your life. You want to repay the favor, but that may not be as easy as it sounds.

(Minor Bad) You are a racial minority in the country where you normally reside.  This causes you several inconveniences, and you likely face daily discrimination, from jobs to housing, from shopping to transportation. Effect: You receive a −2 to all social interactions with people of the majority race, except when dealing with particularly enlightened people (GM’s discretion).  You may also be completely barred from access to certain locations, and the legal system may not work in your favor.

Slow Reflexes (Major Bad Trait) Some people are incredibly quick when it comes to reacting to a situation. You can throw a ball at them when they’re not looking and they’ll notice at the last minute spinning around and catching the ball. People with the Slow Reflexes Trait are not these kinds of people. You can throw a ball at their face and it’ll hit them in the forehead before they have chance to put their hands up to catch it. Effect: You act as a Slow creature in combat, which means everyone else gets to go first. Note: Cannot be taken with the Quick Reflexes Good Trait.

Effect: As a Minor Trait, you only owe a relatively small favor – you might do something small every so often for whomever you’re indebted to, like lending them money or helping them out when they’re in trouble.

Slow Runner

As a Major Trait, you owe someone a lot. They have a huge hold over you, and it is impossible for you to say no to whatever they ask of you. As long as this favor hangs over you, you’ll never be free.

Effect: Reduces your speed by 1 when running. You can’t take this Trait if your Coordination is already only 1, or if you’ve got the Fast Runner trait.

If you pay off the favor without buying off this Trait with Experience Points, then you should replace it with another Bad Trait. For example, you might pay off a Major Favor by agreeing to be a double agent, replacing Owes Favor with Dark Secret.

Phobia* (Minor Bad Trait) Some people just don’t like spiders. Others, it’s cats. Or snakes, or heights, or darkness, or sharks chewing your leg off. Having a Phobia Trait means that there is something (that the player will define, usually with the Gamemaster’s help) that they are afraid of. Effect: You’ve a -2 penalty to Resolve checks to resist fear when you encounter your phobia. You’ve got to roll even when the object of the phobia isn’t a real threat to you – anyone would have to roll against fear when they meet a scorpion, but if you’ve got a phobia of insects, you’ve also got to roll when you spot a harmless beetle crawling up your leg.

56

Racial Minority

(Minor Bad Trait) People don’t have to outrun the bad guy. They just have to outrun you.

Strange Visitor (Minor or Major Bad Trait) Maybe you grew up in the jungles of the African Congo, or on an isolated plateau populated with dinosaurs, or in a vast cavern beneath the Earth’s crust colonized by the last survivors of fabled Mu. Maybe you’re from another time, or another world entirely. Whatever your origin, you’re not from around here. You’re a strange visitor in a different world to the one you knew. Effect: As a Minor Trait, you come from some other country or province with a very different culture, but not too alien. Your Skills are unaffected by these differences, but it’s unnerving and you occasionally run into more changes that you weren’t expecting. The Major version of the Trait is only available with the gm’s permission; wherever you come from, it’s a very different place. You suffer a -2 penalty to any rolls dependent on familiarity with modern day cultures and technologies, and this penalty may be increased when trying to do anything dependent on advanced scientific knowledge or specialist training at the gm’s discretion.

Genesis Technically Inept (Minor Bad Trait) Technology is the wonder of the age, but it is not your friend. Either you’re very unfamiliar with the workings of modern technology, or you are just extremely unlucky when it comes to gadgets and gizmos, but either way, you have trouble using any complex equipment. Effect: You’ve a -2 penalty to any Technology-based rolls. Furthermore, you have to spend a Story Point if you’re trying to do anything beyond the most basic operation of a technological device – for example, you could poke around and maybe roll to turn on a generator, but you’ve got to pay a Story Point levy to do anything more complex than just hitting the power switch and hoping the lights come on.

Unattractive (Minor Bad Trait) You’re not necessarily ugly or hideous, but…well, you’re not going to be winning any personality or beauty contests anytime soon. You’re just unappealing. Effect: The Unattractive Trait comes into play whenever the character is doing something that their looks can influence. As a Bad Trait, the character will get a -2 penalty to any rolls that involve their less-than-good look Note: Cannot be taken with the Attractive Good Trait.

Unlucky (Minor or Major Bad Trait) Luck’s not on your side. Whenever things can go wrong for you, they do. Effect: As a Minor Trait, you’re just unlucky. Whenever you succeed really well by rolling double-six on the dice, you’ve got to roll them again and take the second result. As a Major Trait, you’re really unlucky. Normally, when the gm does something unexpectedly nasty to your character, he’s obliged to recompense you with a Story Point or two – but this doesn’t apply to you. The gm gets to torment you for free.

Weakness* (Minor or Major Bad Trait) The character has a weakness; something that can either cause him harm where it would not hurt other characters, or causes aggravated damage where it might not be as severe for someone else. It may be an allergic reactions to certain foods or pollens, an intolerance to certain kinds of medication, a tendency to cave in to certain kinds of arguments or persuasion, or a vulnerability to the radiations of certain green glowing rocks from space. Effect: Agree on chosen weakness with the player. As a Minor Bad Trait, the character gets -2 to all rolls when the Gamemaster decides the weakness applies. When the character encounters the thing that affects them, any rolls suffer a -2 penalty.

Weakness as a Major Trait is best suited for villains and creatures who need a definite exploitable weakness to give the characters a chance against them. When the weakness is affected it inflicts 4 levels of damage, reducing their Attributes (see Injuries, on p.128). Note: This cannot be taken with the Immunity Trait if both cover the same substance.

Special Traits Experienced* (Special Good Trait) In return for additional Character Points, the character will have fewer Story Points. This reduction in Story Points not only applies at character creation, it also reduces the number of Story Points your character can carry over between adventures.

2

Effect: Experienced is a Special Trait that costs Story Points rather than Character Points. The Story Points spent to purchase this Trait reduce the maximum Story Point pool for the character. Experienced costs 3 Story Points to purchase, and provides the character with an additional 4 Character points. This Trait can be purchased additional times for more experienced characters, though no character can have zero Story Points. That’s far too dangerous! Not every character should be as experienced as this, and their lower Story Points should help to balance the character with their less experienced companions.

Fast Healer (See Fast Healer Good Trait, p.49)

Inexperienced* (Special Bad Trait) The character is inexperienced. Effect: Costs 2 Character Points and 2 Skill Points. In return, the character’s maximum Story Point pool is increased by 3. This Trait can be purchased additional times for less and less experienced characters, though this will have to be approved by the Gamemaster. If, however, through experience during the game the character’s Skills and total Character Points increase to compensate for the cost and reduction from this Trait, the character’s maximum Story Points are reduced to the normal level.

Machine Man (Special Good Trait) In years to come, the character would be referred to as a cyborg, but in the Pulp era, he’s a Machine Man. A character with this Trait has some mechanical body parts. Effect: Costs either 1 or 3 Character Points. At the lowest level, the mechanical prostheses of the character are obvious but possibly concealable. 57

Pulp Fantastic

SETUP

At the higher level, the mechanical elements are completely disguised under artificial, but fairly realistic looking, skin. The Machine Man Trait allows the character to have a permanent Invention (which must be purchased separately) that will not run out of power or get lost (see Inventions, on p.159). Whole body mechanical replacements are not really suitable for a player character in the game, except at the Gamemaster’s discretion. Note: Cannot be taken with the Robot Trait.

More Than Human (Special Good Trait) The character is something truly special. Perhaps they’re the direct descendant of a Greek god, or a bizarre animal/ human hybrid, or were raised by scientists to be the next stage of human development. Perhaps they’re from another world, or are a modern homunculus, rescued from a glass tube found in the lair of a mad scientist. Whatever their origin, the character is not quite human, and may be quite a bit more. Effect: The More Than Human Trait is a ‘Gateway’, opening a selection of additional Creature Traits that are normally unavailable to player characters and allowing Attributes over level 6. It is a Good Trait, and costs just 2 Character Points to purchase. The Gamemaster should approve this Trait. Unless the character has the Strange Appearance Trait, they look pretty much the same as everyone else on Earth. As a downside, if it is discovered that they are special, they may suffer severe consequences (such as being captured by the government and experimented upon, ostracised by the Church or pursued forever-more by the press). Note: The More Than Human Trait is only required when creating player characters. Non-human NPCs and creatures do not require this Trait.

Psychic (Special Good Trait) There are times when you need to discover what is really going on in someone’s mind. Psychic is a Special Good Trait, costing 2 points to purchase (or 1 point if the character already has the Psychic Training Trait). The Gamemaster should approve selection of this Trait. Effect: Make a Resolve and Awareness roll to try and see into the target’s mind. The target must be within visual range (with the naked eye). The Trait provides the character with a +4 bonus on the roll. However, the target, if they are unwilling, can resist such a mental intrusion with a Resolve and Ingenuity roll. Both sides can spend Story Points if they’re concentrating intently. Psychic also gives a +4 bonus when the character attempts to resist having their mind read, or even to resist getting possessed. The Psychic Trait is a ‘Gateway’, opening a selection of additional Psychic Traits (see page 62) to the character that are otherwise only available to villains and creatures.

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Robot (Special Good Trait) Characters built with the Robot Trait aren’t human. Though self-aware robots were rare in the Pulp Era, they were not unheard of. No longer the mindless automata of the Victorian Age, robots came to represent the fear that we would be overwhelmed by technology. Though villainous robots were numerous, constructed by mad geniuses or sent from outer space, but heroic robots like Adam Link did exist. Instead of flesh and bone they are made of steel, wires and valves, and instead of an organic brain their mind is made of circuitry and sparks. When a robot takes a physical injury, it loses Attributes just like a person, though it will not heal itself over time – either itself or another suitably skilled technician will need to conduct repairs (using Ingenuity and Technology), with a level of injury repaired equal to the level of success. Robots normally learn over time, and can increase their mental Skills just as a human, however physical Skills and Attributes will require some form of re-fit to take into account the increased ability. Of course, in most cases, a robot does have the disadvantage of standing out in a crowd and scaring primitive civilisations! The Robot Trait also acts as a ‘Gateway’, like the More Than Human Trait, allowing the character to purchase Invention Traits. These are Traits normally used only in Inventions (see Inventions, p.159). Gadget abilities such as Forcefield or Scan, can be built into the robot character! Effect: Robot is a Special Good Trait that costs 2 points as a robot of normal appearance – that is, they look like a Pulp Era robot; boxy, metallic and very obviously non-organic. At this level the Trait includes the effects of the Strange Appearance Trait. The Trait can be purchased at a higher level, costing 4 points, that means externally you look convincingly human – most of the time people will assume you are human unless you’re injured or display inhuman abilities. Robot also means that you do not die from old age (though your power supply may need replacing), you can raise your Attributes over level 6 and can purchase Gadget Traits. A robot character can be ‘killed’ and repaired, returning to full operational level, though if the damage is severe enough (such as being crushed flat or dropped into a furnace or molten metal) the robot is unlikely to be salvageable.

Team Player (Special Good Trait) You work best as part of a team. Effect: This is a special good trait costing 3 Story Points. It gives an extra Group Point to be spent on Group Traits (see page 66). You may only take the Trait once per player character.

Genesis Unusual Background (Special Good Trait) You were raised by apes or wolves, born into a noble family or something equally amazing and interesting. Effect: For the cost of 3 Story Points a character can gain a Major and a Minor Good Trait that doesn’t affect your character building costs.

HEY, WHERE’S THE MAGIC TRAIT? So, you’re asking where the Magic Trait is? Short answer: There isn’t one. A slightly longer answer is that magic-wielding heroes aren’t really in keeping with the spirit of the Pulps. Though there were arcane heroes in the pulps, for the most part they used psychic powers. The Pulp Era is an age dominated by science and the promise of the future it could bring. Magic and the supernatural, if it exists at all in your campaign world, is a power that thrives on darkness, ignorance and fear – everything that the heroes stand against. If you really want to include magic in a Pulp Fantastic campaign, it should be rare, dangerous and unpredictable. One option more in keeping with the Pulps is that preferred by pulp author H.P. Lovecraft, who posited in his stories that what we think of as magic is in fact the imperfectly understood remnants of extra-dimensional alien super-science, passed down through the ages couched in terms of myth and superstition.

Psychic Traits Heroes and villains with the strange powers of the mind are a staple of the Pulp genre. The radio version of the Shadow, Chandu the Mystic, the Green Llama and others all used mesmerism, telepathy and other forms of psychic mastery to further the cause of justice.

Astral Travel (Major Good Psychic Trait) The character has the ability to separate their “astral body” (their soul, spirit or consciousness) from their physical body and travel far beyond their physical limits. While astrally traveling, the character’s body remains in a comatose state and is utterly defenseless. The character’s astral body appears to be ethereal and insubstantial, and is shaped by the character’s self-image. Characters with low self-esteem might appear shrunken and ugly, while noble or heroic characters might appear as beautiful, idealized versions of themselves. Particularly cruel or villainous characters might even appear as horrific monsters or demons. Effect: The character must spend a Story Point in order to use this Trait. The maximum duration of the character’s

astral voyage is equal to their Resolve in hours. While traveling, the characters physical body is completely comatose and cannot move, act or respond to stimuli in any way. If the physical body dies while the character is astrally projecting, the character must either find a new body to inhabit or fade away in a number of hours equal to half the characters Resolve. Astral characters gain the Immaterial Trait for the duration of the astral voyage. While they can perceive the physical world they are generally unaffected by it. While astral they do not need to eat, sleep or breathe, and can pass through non-living matter as if it were smoke. Astral characters can move instantaneously to any location they are personally familiar with by spending a Story Point, or can drift at a speed equal to three times their Resolve in feet.

Clairvoyance

2

(Special Good Psychic Trait) The ability to see distant locations through intense concentration as if they were actually there. Effect: The character can see into other locations without actually being there or having to rely on technology. It will cost a Story Point to activate this ability and the range is limited to the character’s Resolve – the higher their Resolve, the further away they can see (see table below). RESOLVE DURATION

RANGE

1

The briefest flash

Adjacent room, up to 15ft away

2

A few seconds

Up to 30ft away

3

30 Seconds

Up to 650ft away

4

A minute

Up to half a mile away

5

3 Minutes

Up to 6 miles away

6

5 Minutes

Up to 62 miles away

7

10 Minutes

Up to 310 miles away

8

20 Minutes

Up to 621 miles away

9+

30 Minutes

Anywhere on the planet!

Often these ‘visions’ will be flashes or mere glimpses into another place, but with practice, concentration and a high Resolve, the experience can be prolonged and immersive. Clairvoyance uses the character’s innate abilities, rather than a Skill, so Awareness and Resolve are used to view distant locations. People at the spied location with psychic training can sense they are being watched or observed and may try to resist. Clairvoyance is a Special Trait, requiring the character already have the Psychic Trait. Clairvoyance costs 2 points.

Cloud Men’s Minds (Major Good Psychic Trait) Characters with this ability can psychically or hypnotically cloud the perceptions of an observer so they cannot be seen. This is not invisibility, but the ability to create and occupy a personal blind spot. Provided the character does not do anything to attract attention, they can pass unseen, 59

Pulp Fantastic

SETUP

undetected by all except animals and mechanical or electrical means of detection (photo-electric cells, pressure sensors and the like). Characters cloaked in this fashion can till be photographed and captured on film. Effect: The character is effectively invisible and cannot be seen by other intelligent beings without a resisted Resolve and Awareness roll (against the Resolve and Awareness of the unseen character, though the character gains a +2 bonus on this roll). This roll can only be made if it is suspected the character is present. The Trait also prevents the detection of minor movement noise, but not speech or particularly loud and noticeable sounds. The character’s footsteps on carpet or tile will not be noticed, but their crunching across broken glass probably will, and their voice definitely will.

Empathic Aura (Minor Good Psychic Trait) With the Aura Trait, the character gives off a strange feeling that affects those near to it. Unlike the Fear Factor Trait, the feeling is not always that of danger. The aura could be a feeling of peace and calm, used as a defence, or perhaps to lull people into a false sense of security. Effect: The Empathic Aura Trait is a Minor Good Trait that costs 1 point and effects the feelings of people in the near vicinity. The actual effects should be defined at creation of the alien. Multiple effects can be employed but the Trait will have to be purchased multiple times, one for each effect. The character can choose whether or not to engage the Aura. When active, the Aura reaches to everyone within normal senses range (sight, smell or hearing). Anyone who could be affected will have to make a resisted Resolve and Strength roll (against the Resolve and Strength of the character producing the aura, though the character gains a +2 bonus on this roll). If the target fails the roll, they immediately feel the effects of the aura, becoming calm, frightened, sleepy, hungry, in awe or in love, or whatever emotion the character’s aura produces. They will not be able to resist again until they leave the area of effect (where the effect usually wears off instantly) or unless they spend a Story Point.

Enlightened (Special Good Psychic Trait) The character - whether through mystical training, intense meditation or just a finely balanced sense of justice - has experienced the clarity and the wonder that is an awareness of a greater truth. Enlightened is a Special Good Trait, costing 1 point to purchase. Effect: Gives the character an innate ability to sense when something is amiss or unnatural and what needs to be done to set the world right. They may not know exactly what it is, but they’ll know something isn’t right. The character will sense something wrong with an Awareness and Ingenuity roll with a +2 bonus – the more successful it is, the more likely they are to know what is wrong and how to start to fix it. 60

Possess (Special Good Psychic Trait) This is technically the highest possible level of the Hypnosis Trait (see p.50). Possess allows the character to take over another person and control their actions. While controlling the host body, the character can make it do or say almost anything (though they cannot make the host kill themselves, the survival instinct is too strong for even that). Possessing someone is an exhausting affair, and if the character has a normal body that it has left behind somewhere, it will need protecting (and may die of starvation if they’re out of their body too long). Effect: This Trait is not recommended for player characters. Just as the Hypnosis Trait, the target will have the opportunity to resist becoming possessed (with a Resolve and Strength roll, or Ingenuity in some cases). The possessing character receives a +4 bonus on their first roll to possess someone, though if they fail this every attempt that follows loses this bonus. As a good guide, the possessing character can inhabit the body for as many hours as they have Resolve, though very powerful villains could inhabit a body indefinitely. If they force the host to do something very against their nature (such as attack one of their friends) they will have a chance to resist (and on a Fantastic result, the possessing character may be rejected from the host completely!). For additional information, see ‘Being Possessed’ on p.133.

Precognition (Special Good Psychic Trait) Some people have the ability to see the future. Effect: Costs 1 point to purchase and can only by taken by characters already with the Psychic Trait. The Gamemaster will give the character flashes of information that may help or encourage them to pursue a particular course of action to aid the adventure. If the player wants the character to actively try to sense what is to come, they should spend a Story Point, and the Gamemaster will supply as much useful information is they see fit (without ruining the story!). Exactly how seeing the future works may vary from Gamemaster to Gamemaster, but we recommend that Precognition allows the character to see what would have taken place if he had not gained an insight into the future, allowing the possibility that his prescience will allow him to change events to come.

Telekinesis (Special Good Psychic Trait) Telekinesis, sometimes called psychokinesis, is the power to move something with thought alone. Telekinesis is a Special Trait that costs 2 points to purchase, and should only be picked with the approval of the Gamemaster. Also, they can only purchase this Trait if they already have the Psychic Trait (see p.52). Effect: The Telekinesis Trait has a ‘strength’ equal to the

Genesis CREATING A CHARACTER: EXAMPLE Let’s create a new character for Pulp Fantastic. We’re playing in the Two-Fisted Action Tales! campaign framework. The players agree that all the characters are working for the magazine. They’re a bunch of second-rate adventurers and rogues, down on their luck and offered a chance at some great PR – and maybe the chance to become real heroes – by the publisher. So, our sample character is going to be the sort of person who would fit right into this slightly shabby band. So, who’s our character? The idea of a news hound appeals. Maybe J. Montgomery Cruickshank III has sent his daughter’s favorite up and coming journalist along to chronicle the adventures of his comrades, and incidentally keep him where he can cause the least trouble! Maybe each adventure is a chapter in his (possibly posthumous) memoirs! We’ve got 42 Character Points to spend, starting with the Attributes—Strength, Coordination, Awareness, Ingenuity, Resolve and Presence. We’re limited to a maximum of spending 24 points on Attributes. The rest of the group are rough, tough sinewy types, so it’d be nice to have a character who is a contrast to that. Our news hound is going to be clever and quick, both physically and mentally (4 in Coordination and 5 in Ingenuity). Unlike his comrades he’s not particularly muscular or athletic (2 in Strength), but he’s gutsy and determined (4 in Resolve). A reporter needs to be observant (4 in Awareness), but not stand out too much (3 in Presence). That’s 22 points spent on Attributes, leaving us with 20 Character Points. So, our roving reporter (lets call him Jake for now) has the following Attributes; Awareness 4, Coordination 4, Ingenuity 5, Presence 3, Resolve 4, Strength 2. He’s not very strong, but what he lacks in brawn, he certainly makes up for in brains and moves.

2

Skills come next, but we take a quick peek at Traits first, to make sure we have enough points for any important ones. Empathic sounds appropriate, as does Photographic Memory and maybe Face in the Crowd. Or Attractive, if the publisher’s daughter thinks he’s cute. Anyway, keeping 6 points or so for Good Traits sounds like a plan. Let’s spend 14 points on Skills and see how far that gets us. If we run out of points, we can always take some more Bad Traits or become Experienced. So, let’s look at the Skills. Convince is a must; 4 points in there. Another 4 in Knowledge; Jake’s a smart young man. That’s 8 points so far. His job entails a little sneaking around, so lets put 2 points in Subterfuge. He’s a writer, and a good one at that, so we’ll put 3 points in Craft and spend a further 1 to give him the Writing Area of Expertise. 1 point each in Technology and Transport make sense, for 16. Really, though, we have to put some points in Fighting just so he’s not totally defenseless—2 points at least. That eats into the points we’ve put aside for Good Traits, so we’ll definitely have to take some Bad Traits to compensate. That’s 18 points spent on Skills. Back to Traits. We’ll take Empathic (Minor) and Face in the Crowd (Minor), costing us 2 points. We’ll also give him Attractive (Minor) and Fast Runner (Minor), as he’s not a fighter, for another 2. While we’re at it, let’s give him Friends (Minor) to represent his Press contacts and Lucky (Minor)...because he’s probably going to need it! We’ve spent a total of 22+18+6=46 Character Points, out of our budget of 42! We need to take at least 4 points worth of Bad Traits to compensate. Jake’s a reporter, so let’s give him Obligation (Major) to his boss—this sets up a conflict of loyalties between the group and the publisher that could be really fun to play! Finally, let’s take another two Minor Bad Traits, like Insatiable Curiosity and Dependent. Maybe the publisher’s daughter doesn’t want to stay home when her dear, brave Jake is traveling the world! Next, Story Points. A starting character normally has 12 Story Points. We also need to work out his Trappings. The notable ones are his high Convince, which gives him a steamer trunk full of dapper clothing, and his knowledge of 4; Jake’s a reader and accumulates books wherever he goes. His Craft skill means he has his own typewriter and transcribing pads. That’s more than enough to get playing. We can fill in more about Jake’s personality and background during the game!

character’s Resolve. They are lifting an item with the power of their mind, and use their Resolve in exactly the same way as they’d use their Strength for physically lifting an object. For example, if the character has Resolve 1, they can lift something with their Telekinesis as if they were physically lifting it with a Strength of 1. The only difference is, they’re not using their hands – they’re using their mind. To actually use the ability, a roll is necessary. There is no Skill for Telekinesis, it relies entirely on the character’s innate ability, so uses Ingenuity and Resolve.

RESOLVE

RANGE

1

Touch only

2

Line of Sight

3

Adjacent Room

4

Adjacent Building

5

Within the same city / area

6

Within the same country

7

Anywhere on the same planet

8

Within the planet’s system

9+

Across the Universe!

61

Pulp Fantastic Telepathy

SETUP

(Special Good Psychic Trait) Telepathy is the ability to communicate with others through the power of the mind. Telepaths can project their thoughts directly into someone else’s head and they’ll hear it as if they’re speaking to them. Usually, the person isn’t too far away, but if the character’s Resolve is high, they could communicate to someone up to half a mile away or even further. Very handy if you’re a prisoner somewhere and need to call for help! Once a link has been established, they can hold a short conversation as long as they are not distracted or under stress. The moment they are distracted (for example being surprised by a loud noise or a sudden attack) the link is lost and the character will have to try again at a calmer moment when they can concentrate. Telepathy is a Special Trait and costs 1 point to purchase. Approval from the Gamemaster will be required before selecting this Trait. In addition to this, the character must also have the Psychic Trait before they can purchase Telepathy. Effect: Telepathy uses the character’s innate abilities, rather than any Skill, so Ingenuity and Resolve are used for the roll to establish communication. If the target doesn’t want to be contacted, they can resist with a similar roll. The distance over which the character can communicate with the Telepathy Trait depends upon their Resolve.

Story Points You start the game with 12 Story Points. That’s also your maximum number of Story Points at the start of each adventure. If you end an adventure with more or fewer than 12, you reset back to 12. (Unless, of course, you took the Experienced Trait, in which case you’ve got 9 or 6 Story Points instead of 12, and reset back to your lower limit after each adventure). Story Points are very, very useful things. You can spend them to: Get extra dice to roll for a critical test Boost your level of success, or reduce your level of failure Ignore the effects of damage Activate certain traits Pay off the cost of ignoring other traits Get a clue when you’re stuck Give them to other player characters or even tweak the events of the story. The rules for Story Points are on pages 135-137. For now, you’ll need a way of keeping track of your Story Points. Tokens or glass beads work best, but you can just use dice or coins, or just write your total down on your character sheet.

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Finishing Touches You’re nearly done with your character – just a few finishing touches to go.

Name What’s your character’s name? Do people commonly address him by his first name, or his last one? Or does he go by a title or a nickname?

Background Think about how your character’s Skills and Traits fit together. Where did you pick up all those ranks in Fighting? If you’ve got the Brave trait, what brave things have you done in the past? Do you have any family? You don’t need to come up with a full biography at this point, but do come up with a little background for your character. If you can drop in some plot hooks (like, say, a missing sibling, a family secret, or a burning ambition) so much the better. Is there anything he regrets in his past? Are there big decisions that could have gone another way?

Connections How do you know the other characters? What brought you into their world? Why do you do what you do? Are you motivated by tragedy, inspiration, obligation or revenge? Were you recruited, or did you blunder in? Who do you trust? Who’s your best friend in the group? Who do you always find yourself disagreeing with?

Appearance What does your character look like? How does he dress, what sort of accent does he have? Does he have any quirks or mannerisms? Empty his pockets – what does he keep in there? Who’d play your character in the movie of your game? Playing with a dream cast list is a good way to pin down your character’s appearance and demeanor.

Equipment Note down any trappings you get from your skills, as well as any other equipment your character might reasonably carry with him. Have a think about where your character lives. Describe his home.

Personal Goals What does your character want right now? What does he need? What is he searching for? What’s his big problem? In short, what will push him into the adventure?

Groups & Bases Doc Savage had the 86th Floor of the Empire State Building and his arctic Fortress of Solitude – what’s your group’s center of operations? Are you working out of a custom-built secret fortress filled with technological wonders, or are you hunting criminals from the sub-basement of an abandoned

Genesis theater? Do you belong to a government institution, a secret military unit, or are you just a gang of amateur investigators who’ve discovered the thrill of fighting evildoers? Just like characters, Groups and Bases have Traits. All the players have to decide collectively what Group & Base Traits to buy. You start with Three Good Traits and One Bad Trait.. You can get extra Group Points by taking Bad Group Traits (or with the Team Player Good Trait).

Story Point Traits Some of these Group Traits say ‘this trait gives 3 Story Points that can only be spent on…’ some particular type of skill check. These points can be spent by anyone in the organization, including non-player characters.

GOOD GROUP TRAITS

BAD GROUP TRAITS

Advanced Technology*

Boss from Hell

Armory

Code

Archives

Criminal

Computing Power

Dangerous Experiments

Considerate Superiors

Dark Secret

Fortified

Demands Results

Holding Cells

Harsh Conditions

Laboratory

Isolated

Landing Facility*

Traitor

Lockdown

Unreliable Resource*

Medic

Underfunded

Minions*

Wandering Civilians

Mobile base Official Sanction Secret Base Secure Base Training Troops*

Armory You’ve got an arsenal of weapons and other equipment. If you need a dart gun, or a sniper rifle, or a steel cable capable of restraining an angry rhino, then you can just get it from your handy armory. Your armory might be an actual armory room, with lockers full of weapons, or it might be a cellar full of black-market weapons and old military-surplus gear, but either way, you’ve got the firepower. Effect: You can get any Common or Uncommon Weapons, Armor or other equipment you need without any problems, and can spend a Story Point to obtain any Rare items you need from the Armory.

Archives You’ve got records and files going back years. You might have a really extensive library, or access to government files, or maybe your organization has just been around for a very long time. Either way, you’ve got information at your fingertips. Effect: This Trait provides 3 Story Points every game session that can only be spent on research and related activities. You could spend the Story Points to get extra dice to succeed at a really difficult Knowledge roll, or spend them to declare you’ve got a copy of some vital document or map in the archives.

Computing Power You’ve got access to a powerful calculating engine. Effect: This Trait provides 3 Story Points every game session that can only be spent on Technology-related rolls and related activities, like performing some complex calculations to solve a problem.

Considerate Superiors Your boss in the organization (if you have one) cares for you and the other members of the group. He’ll go out of his way to make your life easier and give you every possible support on the mission, and he’ll forgive you if things go wrong. Effect: The Gamemaster should try to play the characters’ superior as considerate, thoughtful and inspiring.

Vehicle Pool

Note: You can’t take the Boss from Hell Bad Trait if you have Considerate Superiors.

Wealthy

Fortified

Good Group Traits Advanced Technology Your group has access to high technology and unusual gadgets related to its purpose. Effect: Discuss with the gm what sort of Advanced Technology the base has. You’ve got two options – either it’s a 1 point Invention that everyone in the team is assigned (one per person), or a 4-point Invention that’s built into the base. Note: You can take this Trait more than once. Each time, it gives you a different form of advanced technology.

2

This place is tough – the walls are made of reinforced concrete, the doors are forged from a hardened steel, and the whole base is surrounded by fences and defensive earthworks. Taking it won’t be easy. Effect: Your base gives a +6 bonus to Defense when it’s directly attacked.

Holding Cells You’ve got the facilities to hold prisoners. Having Holding Cells means that any prisoners you’ve captured are certain not to break free. In fact, your cells may even come with a few inmates captured in previous adventures… 63

SETUP

Pulp Fantastic Effect: Any captured prisoners cannot escape without outside help (or really cunning plans – not even a sturdy holding cell can hold an Evil Mastermind for long…)

Minions

Laboratory

Effect: This trait works just like the Personal Good Trait, Minions (see page 51). You pick the type of Minions when you take this trait, and you can take different kinds of Minions each time.

Your base is equipped with a laboratory and research staff. These backroom boys aren’t any good in a fight, but they can analyze samples, identify toxins, find cures to diseases and provide other such technical support. Effect: This Trait provides 3 Story Points every game session that can only be spent on Science-related rolls and related activities, like analyzing biological materials or building inventions.

Landing Facilities* The base has an airstrip or a Zeppelin dock and a hangar containing either a few auto-gyros or biplanes. Effect: The base has landing facilities and a number of aircraft. Pick one sort of aircraft: • • • •

Auto-gyros Small planes Zeppelins Armed Biplanes

Note: You can take this Trait more than once; each time you take it, pick another kind of aircraft.

Lockdown Your base has an emergency lockdown procedure. Pulling a lever drops heavy doors throughout the base, sealing it off from the outside world. Nothing, not even bacteria, can escape from a locked-down base. Effect: If lockdown is activated, nothing can escape the base using conventional means. Lockdown also means that the base has its own internal air supply, which can come in handy if the Death Dragon’s minions are attempting another gas attack.

Medic You’ve got a state-of-the-art infirmary (or maybe just a friendly doctor who’s really good at first aid), letting you bounce back quickly from injuries. Effect: This Trait provides 3 Story Points every game session that can only be spent on Medicine-related rolls and related activities. You can also spend these Story Points to restore Attribute points lost by damage – each point spent restores half the lost points (rounding up). The player can decide how these points are allocated between the damaged Attributes.

Menagerie You have a large holding facility for keeping exotic creatures. Effect: You can safely store creatures that you are unable to return to their natural habitat. What is it with Evil Masterminds and their venomous pets, anyway? 64

Your Group has a research staff, a security force or other assistants.

Mobile Base The whole base can move under its own power. Effect: The base is a giant vehicle. Some mobile bases are small enough to fit into the cargo hold of an aircraft. Other bases might be on board a ship, or consist of a fleet of road vehicles. At the top end of the scale, you’ve got bases like the Zeppelin Patrol’s airborne Cloud Palace.

Official Sanction You’ve got the backing of the Powers That Be – the government, the military, the secret service, the League of Nations, or some other group with the authority to run around the country investigating rumors of criminal activity, spies, monsters, or whatever it is that your group is into. Effect: While performing your duties, you’ve got the Minor Good Trait Authority (see page 48). Note: This Trait is incompatible with the Criminal Bad Trait.

Secret Base Your base is cleverly concealed from outsiders. Either it looks like a perfectly ordinary building, is hidden underground, or is concealed by some sort of advanced camouflage or technology. Effect: Finding the base if you do not know it is there is almost impossible. Even if an enemy is hunting for the base, the characters have time to prepare before they are discovered.

Secure Base Your base is protected by alarms, thick walls, locked doors, barbed-wire fences and other security measures. No-one’s getting in here without you knowing about it. Effect: It’s very hard to sneak into your base. It’s not impossible, but if someone gets past your security, the gm should throw the group a Story Point each.

Training Your base includes a gym, a firing range, and other training facilities. Between adventures, you’re busy honing your skills. Effect: As a group, you receive 3 bonus experience points every game session. No one character can get all three points, but you can split the points among three different characters, or give one character two points and another character one point.

Genesis Vehicle Pool Your base has an extensive garage, and you’ve got access to lots of vehicles. Effect: You can get any Common or Uncommon Vehicles you need automatically; you may also get the use of one Rare Vehicle per adventure for free, and can get more with Story Points.

Wealthy Your group is rich or well funded. You’ve all got extensive lines of credit. Effect: You have easy access to money. You can get any Common items automatically, and get either six Uncommon Items or one Rare item per game session. You can also throw money at problems by spending Story Points. Note: You can’t take the Underfunded Trait if you’re Wealthy.

Bad Group Traits Every pulp fantastic group faces terrible dangers – bloodthirsty assassins, Evil Masterminds, Mad Scientists, spies, gangsters, Things That Should Not Be – but your group faces them with a handicap.

Boss from Hell Your superior in the organization loathes you. He might go out of his way to make your life hell, or keep secrets from you, or expect the impossible from you. Effects: Taking this Trait means you want the gm to make your characters’ lives hell. (gm’s – enjoy!)

Code If you’re working for this organization, you need to obey a certain code of conduct. You might be part of a military chain of command, or be bound by civil service bureaucracy. You’ve got to keep to the code, or there’ll be trouble. Effects: When you’re working for this organization, all characters get either the Code of Conduct or Obligation Minor Bad Trait. If a character already has one of those Minor Traits, it gets upgraded to a Major Trait. (On the off-chance that you’ve got both Code of Conduct and Obligation as Major Traits, you’ve got enough trouble…)

secrets. They might have once accidentally created a deadly bacillus, drilled into the Earth’s core and released poisonous gas, attracted the attention of Eldritch Abominations by reading the wrong book aloud, or accidentally created dangerous animal-human hybrids. These experiments can – and will – cause problems for your base. Effects: Side effects of the experiments make life on the base difficult or dangerous all the time, and sometimes they cause added problems.

Dark Secret Your organization has a dark secret, and you don’t know what it is. Effect: The nature of the dark secret is up to the gm. It could be another Bad Trait (maybe your mysterious benefactor is actually a Nazi spymaster or a notorious crime lord, not the government, so you’re actually Criminals; maybe the organization was set up to atone for a dreadful crime, or to correct the effects of an experiment that went horribly wrong) or something even worse.

Demands Results You’re expected to do the impossible every week. You’ve got to keep the underworld under control, keep the public from finding out, and keep your superiors happy. They demand results. Effect: Failure isn’t an option for you. Your superiors keep interfering with your decisions and pressuring you to come up with solutions. The gm has license to torment your characters with micromanaging bosses who call you up every ten minutes to shout at you about why you haven’t captured the Crimson Claw yet.

Harsh Conditions Life in this base is hard. No luxuries. No molly-coddling. The base is cramped, cold (or hot) and unpleasant. Outside is worse – the base is located somewhere like Siberia or the middle of the Sahara. Or maybe it’s on the bottom of the sea. Effects: Harsh Conditions has no direct game effects, but being caught without proper survival gear can be hazardous to the characters’ health.

Criminal

Isolated

Your group’s activities are illegal. Either you’re doing something that’s genuinely illegal, like smuggling fugitives across state lines, or the government doesn’t want anyone else fighting crime. If you’re caught, you’ll be arrested.

The base is in the middle of nowhere, miles away from anywhere. Getting here requires a long flight or a very, very, very long drive.

Effect: In addition to dealing with your enemies, you also have to hide from the government. Note: You can’t have the Official Sanction Group Trait if your organization is Criminal.

Dangerous Experiments Your organization uses (or has used) your base for a troublesome experiment involving weird technology or arcane

2

Effect: It takes a very long time for help to arrive if something goes wrong. It may take days or even weeks before anyone responds to a distress call from your base. As long as nothing goes wrong, you’ll be fine…

Traitor There’s an enemy among you. Someone in the group is a traitor, working for an opposed organization (like the Syndicate or the Tong of the Black Scorpion) or an enemy (Like Herr Doktor Todeskopf or the Crimson Claw). 65

Effect: The gm determines who the traitor is. It could be your superior in the organization, or a trusted underling. It could even be one of the player characters!

Unreliable Resource* Some aspect of your base or group is unreliable. Perhaps your vehicles are prone to break down, or your communications are regularly disrupted by electrical storms. Effect: Pick one of your Good Group Traits. That Trait is now unreliable. Sometimes, it just isn’t available. For example, you’ve an Unreliable Considerate Superior, then your boss might be called away to meetings, leaving his second-in-command in charge – and the second in command despises you. If you’ve an Unreliable Vehicle Pool, then either your source of transport is unreliable (sometimes, your pal in the military base can’t get you anything) or the vehicles themselves tend to break down.

Underfunded Your group is chronically short of cash. You can’t afford to maintain what you’ve got, let alone buy new equipment. You’ve a shoestring budget. Effect: You can’t buy equipment, not even Common items, without finding an extra source of funding. You’re poor (at least, the organization is. Individual characters may be wealthy, but do they want to give their money to the group?)

Wandering Civilians Your base is not in a secure environment. It might be located in a very public place, or have a lot of visitors. In an emergency, you will have to deal with numerous civilians right in the line of fire. Effect: Any crisis or attack on the base will endanger lots of civilians. The characters have to protect these civilians while dealing with the bigger problem.

Chapter 3 The Pulp World Gazetteer

A

The Colonial World

dventurers in some countries will find themselves dealing not with a local government, but a representative of a colonial power. Several nations (e.g. Great Britain, Holland, Portugal, and France) had colonies around the world. The relationship between the ruling nation and the colony ranged from peaceful submission to guarded acceptance to violent opposition. A list of 1930s colonies can be found in the box on p. 70. Each nation keeps a representative in the colony who is responsible for its welfare. This representative (often called a Governor-General) may have complete authority - the ability to create or remove any laws - or he may act as a counselor/ambassador, allowing the colony a fair amount of political freedom. Regardless of the authority of the representative, the ruling nation almost always reserves the right to veto any decisions, policies and laws that the colony wishes to enact. This rule often led to rebellion, and foreigners may find opportunity to work for either side (though most pulp heroes supported the colonial empires, especially Britain and France). Rebel armies tended to be ill-led, atrocity-prone, and Communist-infiltrated. European and European-officered armies were the ultimate authority. Service with these armies (such as the French Foreign Legion) is a common background for pulp heroes and villains. Colonial armies and colonial police forces also make colorful backgrounds and adventure seeds.

Travel in the Colonies Travel through Africa and Asia was, for the most part, travel through European-controlled countries with European officials, courts, customs, papers and currencies. It was possible to tour these areas and never see anyone but Europeans (except at a distance or in subservient capacities). Americans visiting any colonial nation will usually be dealing with its governing nation -- rarely (if ever) with a native government. Racial intolerance and social stigmas are rampant in these areas and extend from European to native and vice-versa. Discrimination is the order of the day; travel, lodging and eating establishments use first, second and third class accommodations to keep American and European visitors segregated from the native patrons.

Regions of the Era The world of the 1930’s is still dominated by European interests, though times are changing rapidly. At the beginning of the pulp era, Great Britain and France were the dominant powers of the world. The United States, for its part, was emerging as a potential super-power and had gained enormous respect very quickly. Europe, though, was beginning to lose hold of her assets. The Great War had cost the old powers dearly, and insurgents were popping up everywhere. The times became more and more turbulent, and a smart adventurer could find fortune and glory just about anywhere.

The United States America, in the 1930’s, would be considered a simpler place than it is today. The Federalism ushered in by Franklin Roosevelt and the Second World War had not yet happened. States and communities largely tended to their own affairs. Police power was held in the city or state police. Federal agents were called in for the ‘big’ criminals, such as the mob, but there were only a handful of such agents, and they were usually busy enough in the largest American cities. Internationally, the United States did its best to distance itself from the rest of the world. Though the States had significant colonial interests in the Pacific, and some interventionist policies in Central America, isolationism was exceedingly popular.

GOLD AND SILVER After the passage of the Gold Reserve Act of 1934, possession of gold in the United States was now illegal. Citizens were allowed to keep gold in its natural state, gold jewelry, gold dental work or coins of numismatic interest. All other forms of gold were to be taken to the nearest depository and exchanged for paper money. Anyone finding golden treasure or coin should be very careful what they do with it. At any time prior to the Gold Reserve Act, gold was worth about $20/ounce. After that time, the legal price was fixed at $35/ ounce. Possession of silver was still legal. The traditional cost of silver was about $1.25/ounce, but during the Depression years it could be bought and sold for around half that. (Gold and silver are weighed in troy ounces, each 1/12 of a pound.)

Pulp Fantastic

GAZETEER

COLONIES AROUND THE WORLD Aden: Great Britain.

Korea: Japan.

Algeria: France.

Madagascar: France.

Angola: Portugal.

Morocco: France.

Annam: France.

Mozambique: Portugal.

Australia: Great Britain.

New Guinea: The Netherlands and Australia.

Bechuanaland: Great Britain.

New Zealand: Great Britain.

Belgian Congo: Belgium.

Nigeria: Great Britain.

Bissao: Portugal.

Nyasaland: Great Britain.

Borneo: The Netherlands.

Palestine: Great Britain.

British Guiana: Great Britain.

Philippine Islands: United States.

Burma: Great Britain.

Puerto Rico: United States.

Cambodia: France.

Rhodesia: Great Britain.

Cameroon: France.

Sardinia: Italy.

Celebis: The Netherlands.

Sicily: Italy.

Ceylon: Great Britain.

Sierre Leone: Great Britain.

Cyprus: Great Britain.

Somaliland: Italy, Great Britain and France (separate regions).

Dahomy: France.

Sudan (Anglo-Egyptian Sudan): Great Britain/Egypt.

Dominion of Canada: Great Britain.

Sumatra: The Netherlands.

Egypt: Great Britain.

Syria: France.

Federated Malay States: Great Britain.

Tanganyika Territory: Great Britain.

Formosa: Japan.

Trans-Jordan: Great Britain.

French Equatorial Africa: France.

Uganda: Great Britain.

French Guiana: France.

Union of South Africa: Great Britain.

Gambia: Great Britain.

West Africa: France.

Gold Coast: Great Britain.

Zanzibar: Great Britain.

Greenland: Denmark. Hawaii (Sandwich Islands): United States. India: Great Britain. Iraq: Great Britain. Jamaica: Great Britain. Java: The Netherlands. Kenya: Great Britain. This wasn’t entirely unjustified. Though America emerged as a potential super-power with the closing of the Great War, Europe seemed more resentful than thankful of American ‘interference’, refusing to pay debts, and often belittling the United States’ pivotal role in ending the Great War. Most Americans simply considered the rest of the world not worth worrying about. An attitude that helped keep the United States from entering the ill-fated League of Nations. On the other hand, having apparently beaten Europe at it’s own game, Americans had seemed to many to become ‘swaggeringly arrogant’, a not-entirely inaccurate perception that endures nearly a century later.

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England and Europe Great Britain The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, during the time of Victoria, consisted of four different and interdependent countries. Wales, by far the most subjugated of the lot, was the center for the mining of iron and coal. Ireland, the center of unrest in the Empire, was fighting for independence and freedom from repressive absentee landlords. Scotland, the center of philosophy and science, flourished in its Union with England more than it ever could as a free state. England, the true center and heart of the British Empire, was the

The Pulp World Gazetteer THE BRITISH EMPIRE

Republicans, and the general citizenry of France clash and work together in alteration, much to the confusion of all.

“The sun never sets on the British Empire” was more than a cliché. British colonies, possessions and self-governing dominions circled the world. Britain controlled most of Africa, large parts of Asia and Oceania and a substantial fraction of North America and the Caribbean. Even South America (Guiana and the Falkland Islands) and Europe (Gibraltar) had land under the Union Jack.

Following all that come the Third Republic. This era sees great urbanization, industrialization, and economic growth unheard of before in France. Many wonders and innovations come from France at this time, which were highlighted in the Exposition Universelle of 1889. There the people of the world came to marvel at the recreation of the Bastille, and the wondrous tower created by Gustave Eiffel.

jewel of the Empire. England was for many the height of fashion, style, and culture.

The French colonial system suffered greatly during the turmoil in France itself, but it was still quite diverse. Most of North, West, and Central Africa were under French control, with the protectorate of Tunisia as one of the centers of power. Morocco, Algeria, French Somoliland, and French West Africa, were all under French control. In the South Pacific, France established joint control with Great Britain of the New Hebrides. Also in the region, France wielded control of New Caledonia and various island groups which made up French Polynesia. French colonies even existed in the Far East in French Indochina and a French concession in Shanghai. France's influence in the Western Hemisphere was also quite broad. Their support of the reign of Maximilian in Mexico leads to great turmoil in a country already fraught with political problems. In the South American colony of French Guiana was the notorious penal colony Île du Diable, or Devil's Island, the most feared prison in the entire French domain.

“If one does not live in London, one simply does not live,” was how any “true Englishman” felt. London was the social, political, and moral center of the Empire. The home of the English Parliament, the West End theater district, the British Museum, and a host of gentleman’s clubs to meet any man’s tastes, London truly seemed to be the center of the universe. Great Britain brought the train to the world, making many places accessible that were truly out of touch with the time. Scottish inventors and doctors managed to bring civilization to the world, improving the quality of life everywhere. Great Britain was the epicenter of the Industrial Revolution, which brought about the development of steam powered railways, ships, electrical power generation, and machinery meant to make life easier. For two hundred years, Great Britain had been the dominant force in the world. The Great War changed that, and had been a humiliating experience. Colonies broke away, and even Ireland had achieved its independence. Britain could no longer be complacent.

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Throughout the varied and diverse French colonial system one could be assured of one constant: the French Foreign Legion. This near legendary military unit is the source of

The Great War had hurt British pride substantially. By the 1930’s, Parliament had fallen under control of a disturbing type of isolationism. Many believed the lesson of the Great War was that peace was desirable at any cost. This policy of appeasement was designed to ‘keep the beast at bay’, though many worried that this policy only encouraged Britain’s enemies to even more audacious demands. Divisions between the ‘hawks’ and ‘doves’ in Parliament were exceptionally bitter. Despite this conflict, the Empire was still a powerful force with colonies and governance over much of the world. Africa, Asia, and even pieces of the Americas and Europe had fealty to the Union Jack. Truly, the sun will never completely set on the British Empire.

France France can really be seen as the land of anarchy and change during the 1800s. Throughout the stable reign of Queen Elizabeth in England, France sees the rise and fall of King Louis Philippe and the Bourbon Restoration; the rise and fall of the French Second Republic; the reign of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, first as President for Life and later as Emperor Napoleon III; and the beginnings of the long standing French Third Republic. Royalists, anarchists, 69

Pulp Fantastic many stories, a grand mixture of myth, hard fact, and mystery that garners respect no matter where they go.

war saw Spain lose the majority of her colonies, including Cuba and the Philippines.

France had been devastated by the Great War, and was struggling to recover. The Great Depression had demoralized the battered Republic. Constant effort had to be placed on maintaining France’s empire.

Spain suffered through the depression as did any other nation, but political unrest would plague the democracy of the nation through the middle 1930’s. Communist, Fascist, and even religious uprisings occurred sporadically throughout the era as each group promised a return to better times and citing the elected governments as failures.

The French Empire remained present in Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and a bit still in the Americas. It was maintained with a web of governmental control, military power, and a substantial dose of espionage. France had begun to rearm itself, though it was heavily reliant on expatriates serving as mercenaries, irregulars, or within the Foreign Legion. A large number of these were Americans, aiding a loyal ally against Communist and Fascist insurgencies. The emphasis on espionage within the French government had one major drawback. Corruption took hard root within all echelons of the government. Illicit deals were not uncommon, particularly in the Empire’s overseas holdings. At this time, even weakened, France has had many decades of relative stability compared to many times in French history.

GAZETEER

Spain Once a major power in world politics, by the mid-1800s Spain was but a hollow shell of its former self. Queen Isabella II, who was crowned at the age of 3, was not popular among the people of Spain, who felt that she was easily influenced by those around her and did not care for her people. The turmoil within her court led to revolts among the far flung Spanish colonies. Her attempts to unify her country only served to alienate her even more. Under great pressure from forces both political and military, Queen Isabella II went into exile in France in 1868, leaving the country in chaos. After two years of unsuccessful rule by a coalition government, it was decided that Spain would have a new king, from a new line, and a search was made to find a king that would satisfy the government. King Amadeo I was crowned in 1870. He swore to uphold Spain's constitution, and with great ambition began his reign. King Amadeo had to deal with the unstable political atmosphere in Spain, constant attempts at assassinations, and a revolution in Cuba, among many other problems. After two years, faced with reigning without popular support, King Amadeo abdicated. That same day, the first Spanish Republic was born. This lasted for another two years, during which a great deal of turmoil and unrest ruled the country. Since none of the political parties wished the return of Isabella, they pronounced her son Alphonso as King. Alphonso XII was a young and inexperienced king, but he ruled with natural tact and grace, and the people of Spain grew to love and respect him. His rule saw the country rise up from plagues of cholera, devastating earthquakes, and the stabilization of the rule of Spain. After his death in 1885 his son, ruling as Alphonso XIII, dealt with a humiliating defeat by the United States in the Spanish-American War. Agreements signed after this six-month 70

The situation took a more dramatic downturn in 1936 as General Francisco led an uprising that turned into a full scale civil war. The two largest camps, the Communist Republicans, and the Fascist Nationalists, vied for control of the nations. Russia and Germany took the obvious sides, but most of Europe wanted no part in the conflict, fearing that the violence would spread throughout Europe.

Italy At the beginning of the 1800s, the Italian peninsula was a fractured political landscape. Various principalities, grand duchies, and the Papal States made the area look more like a puzzle than at any other time since the fall of Rome. After the Crimean War, King Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont, Savoy, and Sardinia, managed to unite the many fractured states into the Kingdom of Italy. He was crowned King of Italy in 1861. The beginning of his reign was full of turmoil, but this all ended when his forces entered Rome in 1871, and all of Italy was under one king. The remainder of his reign was quite peaceful, and many visitors came to admire the aged splendor of the Italian cities. King Victor Emmanuel II died in 1878, succeeded by his son Umberto I. King Umberto was deeply despised by the left-wing political circles, and suffered several assassination attempts. Alliances with former enemies Austria-Hungary and Germany did not gain him favor at home, and his attempts at imperial colonization in northern Africa, and the disastrous massacre in Milan, made the reign of Umberto a troubled one. By the end of the pulp fantastic Era, the atmosphere in Italy was volatile, and it is only a matter of time before one the many attempts on King Umberto's life succeeds. During the 1930’s, Italy was becoming a power once more. Mussolini's Fascism had taken the nation forward, becoming a strong military power and a leader in science and technology. It had appeared to many that Italy would be a strong power for the next few decades. Italy itself, however, was far from unified under their leader. Communists, other fascists, nationalists, and other groups were demanding their share of power. The old troubles of the mafia still remained. By the mid 1930’s, Italy had been notably outstripped in pace by the Germans. Early on, Italy had not sided with Germany, even deploying troops against Hitler to warn against the annexation of Austria. However, once Italy invaded Abyssinia, Italy found itself short of friends. This lead Mussolini to take a more firm alliance with Germany, even aiding the Nazis in the Spanish Civil War.

The Pulp World Gazetteer Portugal Once a mighty colonial empire known for its explorers, by the mid-19th century Portugal had become almost a footnote in European history. The War of the Two Brothers, also known as the Portuguese Civil War, dominated the lives of all of Portugal from 1828 to 1834. With this upheaval came a breakdown of the fragile civil and social improvements that had started to bring Portugal into the modern era. Queen Maria II made great strides in the effort of restoring her country to its role as a dominant force in European affairs by her policies of improving medical and education standards in the country. Queen Maria, often referred to as "The Good Mother", raised her large royal brood to work hard to improve the nation and its people. In 1853, following her death, that task fell to her son King Pedro V. Among the many improvements during the reign of Pedro I were advances in the field of public medicine. Cholera was a persistent plague upon Portugal, causing the economy to fall even further behind the rest of Europe as their population dwindled. The "Curse of Portugal" even touched the royal family, killing King Pedro, his brother Ferdinand, and a number of other members of the royal family. This sudden and tragic loss isolated the country, causing domestic stagnation which seemed to have forever locked Portugal into its role as second class citizen of Europe. Following a Democratic Revolution in 1910 Portugal has seen continued progress, along with civil and military unrest. Time will tell what will happen to this nation.

Switzerland

spread all over the world, becoming a welcome site in times of strife and disaster. Since the middle 1900s Switzerland has maintained a strict neutrality, making it an excellent place for business and for meetings needing to be kept from prying eyes or governments.

Austria The Empire of Austria, founded in the early 1800s, was created on the heels of the abolition of the Holy Roman Empire. Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, in the wake of the defeat of his military coalition against Napoleon, was forced to dissolve the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, but prior to that in 1804 he declared his personal holdings to be the Empire of Austria. This allowed him to retain rule over this smaller realm after the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. Emperor Francis I, a greatly suspicious man, set up a vast network of spies, censors, and secret police. This vast network of informants was used throughout his reign to keep the emperor informed about the actions of many people he did not trust, including his own brothers.

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The Emperor's death in 1835 was sudden and greatly mourned. His funeral was a spectacle unto itself, with people filing past his casket for three days. His successor, Emperor Ferdinand I, was an epileptic, and most considered him to be not terribly intelligent. Emperor Ferdinand I had a mostly uneventful reign, with the government run mostly by his regents. In 1848 revolutionaries took over the empire, entered the emperor's palace, and convinced him to abdicate in favor of his nephew Franz Joseph.

During the era of Napoleon, Switzerland was occupied by forces from Russian and Austria during their battles with France. After Swiss autonomy was restored in 1815 the country suffered a period of political and civil unrest, which culminated in a month long civil war in 1849. The war produced few casualties, but made the people realize they needed to be united and strong in order to fend off all external troops. A federation of all the cantons of Switzerland formed a united and stable federal state, which gave the country a level a peace not seen in most of Europe. Since medieval times, Switzerland had been known as a stable, safe, and private banking community. One could have money in a private account in Switzerland, and they be assured that nobody would be told that you had money there, or where the money came from. The many treasures and secrets hidden away in the vaults of Zurich and Geneva stagger the imagination and could produce a host of adventures for a pulp fantastic Victorian Fantasy Role Playing Game. In 1863 in Geneva, the International Committee of the Red Cross was founded. This humanitarian organization was created to set guidelines for the handling of wounded people in battles and how war casualties should be handled. Many of the countries of Europe, and later the United States and Brazil, accepted the guidelines, allowing more people to survive a battle, and their care was ensured to be complete and helpful. Over the years the Red Cross 71

Pulp Fantastic ELEMENT X Element X is a curious radioactive metal of extraterrestrial (and possibly extra-dimensional) origin, that is known to behave in a number of ways contrary to the established laws of physics. Perhaps the most famous specimen of Element X is the Wold Cottage meteor of 1795; the largest observed meteor landing in Britain. However, since Element X has been identified, traces and small deposits of it have been discovered all over the world. Of particular interest is the relatively high quantity of Element X in the K-Pg Boundary, the layer of sediment deposited by the extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs. The exact composition of Element X remains a mystery, and there is much debate as to whether it is an element at all. While under normal circumstances it behaves like a stable transuranic element, it displays no radioactive decay unless placed within a mild electrical field, whereupon it becomes a source of remarkable power. Furthermore, there is some evidence that the Element is capable of warping probability around it in some way, making it susceptible to unusual coincidences and unlikely events. While Element X displays no detectable radioactive decay under normal circumstances, it has been known to act as a mutagen. Continued exposure to the element over long periods produces stable, beneficial mutations in higher organisms. Certain less reputable scientists have theorized that Element X was used in the creation of many “occult artifacts” - really examples of ancient high technology – and may be responsible for incidences of apparent supernatural or magical events. In its natural form, Element X appears as a translucent green crystalline substance, similar to jade. When subjected to an electrical field, the crystal glows faintly with a viridian luminescence. If subject to intense heat in this “excited” state, the crystalline element melts, becoming a dark green vitrious material that can be cast, smelted and shaped like steel. Conventional science has yet to fully explore the exceptional properties and structure of Element X, possibly because of its great scarcity (in 1910 it is estimated that less than five tons exists on Earth, though this figure is later revised upward after the reported discovery of large deposits in Berezkia), but also because of the high number of bizarre and unpleasant accidents that seem to befall researchers involved in its study. Many scientific authorities prefer to deny the material even exists, rather than try and incorporate its anomalous behavior into their model of the universe.

GAZETEER

SO, JUST WHAT IS ELEMENT X? Like any good MacGuffin, it’s whatever the Gamemaster wants it to be. There is no game information associated with it as its properties and effects will vary according to the needs of the plot. As a mutagen it may be responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs (as well as their survival in isolated parts of the globe) and the presence of psychic powers in a small percentage of the human population. Traces of it released into the atmosphere by volcanic eruptions or meteor impacts may be the cause of “magical” phenomena or those brief periods when the gods seemed to have walked the Earth. Perhaps the strange skies caused by the Tunguska Impact of 1908 were caused by Element X contamination, heralding the start of a new age of heroes and monsters. As to where it comes from, nobody knows. It could be the radioactive remnants of a distant world, preceding the arrival of a strange visitor with strange powers. Perhaps it is all that remains of magic in the universe, awaiting the birth of a new age of miracles. It could be ur-stuff from the beginning of time itself, or a relic of the reality before this one. Maybe it’s not even matter at all, but concentrated chunks of pure probability, falling to Earth from some higher Platonic dimension. Whatever Element X really is, and wherever it comes from; it’s rare, unpredictable and in the wrong hands, very dangerous indeed.

Emperor Franz Joseph, in an attempt to increase the power and influence of the Empire of Austria, negotiated an agreement with the nobility of Hungary. In 1867 the Austro-Hungarian Empire was formed. While the government and the economy both expanded and improved during the early years of the new empire, it was also a hotbed of anarchist activity.

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Germany

The Empire of Austria-Hungary was a land of great prosperity, an ever increasing industrialized nation that is a multi-cultural region of prosperity and intrigue. While the emperor’s spies and secret police were ever present, so were spies from other countries and anarchists bent on ending the Emperor's grip of power over the vast Empire's domain.

In 1871, following their victory in the Franco-Prussian War, the Kingdom of Prussia allied the many small German states into a single empire, with the king of Prussia, Wilhelm I, as Emperor. The Prime Minister of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck, was the true force behind the unification, and as Prime Minister and later Chancellor of the Empire, much of the power of the empire lay in his hands. Under the hands of the German Empire, the constituent states flourished and became an industrial power unrivaled in Europe. The manufacturing of steel, the exporting of coal and the industrial works of companies such as Krupp, all resulted in the German dominance in industry in the latter part of the 1800s.

In the end of the First World War an Austrian republic was formed, moving the nation into the modern times and away from a monarchy. Times of change have come to the Hapsburgs and along with the times and change, comes opportunities.

Germany was also the home of several semi-autonomous regions, such as Bavaria, ruled by King Ludwig II until his mysterious death in 1886 Often called "Mad King Ludwig", he was a man of peculiar vision. He loved to build lavish

The Pulp World Gazetteer fairy tale castles and buildings of elaborate design. Besides his masterpiece New Hohenschwangau Castle, later renamed Neuschwanstein Castle after his death, King Ludwig oversaw the construction of the Winter Garden in Munich. The garden, complete with a lake and a technologically advanced glass and steel roof design, included a grotto, a Moorish kiosk, an Indian royal tent, an artificially illuminated rainbow and intermittent moonlight. When the Great War ended, Germany had lost the war that they had ‘officially’ started. The other European powers wanted their revenge, and imposed a harsh ‘peace treaty’ on Germany. The Treaty of Versailles was so harsh that Germany’s Great Depression nearly drove the nation back to a feudal state. This fostered the rise of radical political groups, particularly the National Socialist and Communist parties. Both groups promised to terminate the punishing treaty and rebuild Germany into a modern nation once more. The National Socialist party, led by Hitler, offered these promises without sacrificing religion or personal liberties as the Communists demanded. Using popular sentiment, a promise of a greater nation, and some more devious tactics, the Nazi party had become the dominant force within Germany by the 1930’s. At first, the Nazi party seemed like a godsend to Germany. Austria and other lands were ‘annexed’ back into the Fatherland. The Treaty of Versailles was terminated, and Germany, under Hitler’s unyielding command, became a superpower. But beneath the smooth skin, however, the darker heart of Nazi Germany beats relentlessly. Jews, Gypsies, and Blacks are being rounded up and either ‘exported’, sterilized, or exterminated in camps. The master race doctrine has been taken to its extremes, and the new Reich now sees itself as being the eventual rightful rulers of Europe, if not the entire world.

Berezkia Nestled in the heart of the Balkans is the tiny nation of Berezkia. Alternatively conquered, fought over and ignored by the greater powers for centuries, her people are a mishmash of ethnicities and faiths, but are staunchly proud of their land and their history. Largely over-looked in the 19th Century, Berezkia suddenly came to prominence with the discovery that enclosed within its borders was the largest deposit of Element X ever recorded. By cleverly exploiting historical treaties and alliances, the Berezkian leadership maintained their independence while using their new-found wealth to build up their defenses. Today Berezkia is a fortress nation, heavily guarded by the loyal troops of General Kazan while her neighbors look enviously on.

FORBIDDEN VALLEY Mentioned in legend for hundreds of years but first explored by modern man in 1904, Forbidden Valley is an anomalous region located in the deserts of Mexico and bounded by high rocky walls. Despite being located in an arid desert with little water, the valley apparently maintains a Jurassic ecology including a thriving dinosaur population. Like many anomalous regions, there appears to be only one entrance to the valley, and attempts to locate it through other routes have failed repeatedly. Even more curiously, a 1908 follow-up expedition reported penetrating 12 miles into the valley and uncovering a dense jungle before turning back in the face of increasing losses to dinosaur predation.

ANOMALOUS REGIONS The term “anomalous region” is one that is applied to geographical areas where the normal laws of nature – and sometimes physics – are suspended or behave in ways contrary to the predictions of science. These regions often appear to be in some way hidden, concealed from the rest of the world as if existing within a fold of space and time. Normally these regions can only be accessed in a very limited and specific way; through a certain cave, by following a concealed valley or by navigating a specific course. Attempting to find the region by any other way will usually fail, as if the region only exists when accessed by the specific path. Exactly what causes anomalous regions to exist is unknown, though it cannot be a coincidence that these areas often contain large deposits of Element X. Anomalous regions are often called “lost worlds” after the most well-known and well-documented example; Maple White Land in Venezuela.

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of action, mystery, and danger in the western lands of the continent. With influences from all of the great and not so great powers of Europe, North America can be a hotbed of activity.

The United States

North America

The 19th century in the United States was a time of turmoil. The whole century seemed to focus on the build up to and recovery from the biggest change in American history -The Civil War. The tensions, both political and economic, that lead up to the Civil War influence the direction of the country throughout the early years of the 1800s. The upheaval caused by this great conflict had repercussions that were felt up to the dawn of the new century. It was not, however, all doom and gloom. The Industrial Revolution was alive and well in the United States. The country was a land of invention, with new technology seeming to appear every day. The westward expansion also brought adventure and new discoveries, making the United States a land of opportunity, a dream of people around the world.

A land of opportunity and growth, the countries of North America can be a focal point for adventure and excitement. Penny-dreadfuls fill young minds with tales

The Gold Rush of 1848 brought hundreds of thousands of people to California, with towns springing up literally overnight. Once small communities became bustling cities 73

Pulp Fantastic full of life with the excitement of gold fever. The western expansion brought many people to the west, not all of them honest citizens. Card sharks, con men, snake oil salesmen, cattle rustlers and bank robbers could all be found scattered around the boom towns of the west. Indians roamed, and fought for their very survival, clashing with the teeming Americans spilling into their lands. Rail lines slowly made their way west, crisscrossing the newly claimed prairies. Men like John Henry helped to build the railroad, expanding the nation and bringing the raw materials of the west to the industrial lands of the east. Jesse James made the railroads famous by robbing the trains, making the lands seem wild and untamed. Railroads were a vital link throughout the United States. Without trains, much of the growth of western towns would not have been possible, and the western United States would have been a vastly different environment. The United States is a land of unique adventure. Part civilized nation, part savage wilderness, the country is rife with possibility. Great thriving cities like New York, Boston, and Baltimore provide centers of industry, intrigue, and adventure. Booming towns like Denver and San Francisco are full of action, danger, and adventure.

GAZETEER

Canada The British colonies of Canada were a battleground for the British and American governments during the War of 1812. The treaties following the war sealed a low-level animosity between the Canadian colonies and the new nation of the United States, slowing the migration between the countries and increasing the American expansion to the west. In 1867 the British North American Act took the Province of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia and formed the Dominion of Canada, the first and largest self-governing colony of the British Empire. The majority of Canada was a vast, forested, unexplored wilderness. The great cattle herds of Alberta, the metropolis of Montreal, and the growing wilderness town of Vancouver, were all linked in 1886 with the completion of the transcontinental railway by Canadian Pacific Railway. The opening of rail service, and the grand hotels built along the route, sped up the expansion of the Canadian west. While the expansion brought more people to the towns and cities along the rail line, it still left great swaths of the country unexplored. Stories of Wendigo, the embodiment of winter, isolation, and cannibalism spread throughout the end of the 1800s. Some claim that Wendigo wander the wildernesses of Canada, preying on hunters, trappers, and explorers of the arctic regions. Others claim that the spirit creatures have been encountered in towns like Vancouver and the newly incorporated city of Winnipeg. Whether the tales of the Wendigo and related stories of Sasquatch are true or just the myths and stories of the local Indians are unknown. Nobody who has gone hunting for either creature has come back with one. Of course, a few expeditions have never come back.

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Mexico Territorial disputes between the United States and the newly independent nation of Mexico led the countries to an inevitable war in 1846. The war was short and, unfortunately for the fiercely proud Mexican people, unsuccessful. In 1848 the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildalgo was signed, ending the war. Mexico lost large pieces of territory, which were settled by Americans and soon became the states of Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and most of the New Mexico and Arizona territories. A federal republic was established after several internal wars, with Benito Juárez finally installed as President. In the 1860s Mexico was under the military occupation of France. Napoleon III installed Maximilian I as King of Mexico, under his control. The largely conservative government of Mexico found the policies of Maximillian too conservative, and the liberals refused to acknowledge the King as their monarch. This lead to much political unrest. Forces loyal to President Benito Juárez, who kept the federal government functioning during the French intervention that put Maximilian in power, captured Maximilian and executed him in 1867. Like much of Central and South America, Mexico was dotted with ancient ruins, lost Aztec cities, and enough adventures to keep anyone busy for many years.

South and Central America This region was both an unexplored wilderness full of ancient ruins waiting to be discovered and a hotbed of military actions throughout the era. For adventurers seeking ancient ruins and lost civilizations, the Incas and Aztecs had left behind more than enough to keep even the most active Adventurer or Explorer busy. During the 1930s they were sitting between two worlds, and time will decide which way they will move.

Argentina The United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata was formed in 1816 from the Spanish Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, the last short lived Viceroyalty of the region. The United Provinces comprised the area of present day Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. Political turmoil in the region caused the Provinces to split apart, forming the four separate countries. Argentina is a largely agrarian country, with a smattering of farms and a large number of cattle ranches. This stable economy helped to unite the mostly Spanish population. Exporting of cattle, sheep, and wheat kept the nation from suffering the effects of the worldwide depressions of the mid-1800s, but it did not make them wealthy either. While the immigrants to Argentina were a united people, they still suffered from attacks by the Indian tribes of the region. Argentina inherited the problems of the Spanish Viceroy when it came to dealing with the local tribes to the south, and they did not handle this problem any better than the Spanish. Buenos Aires still had a colonial feel, even after its independence. The influx of Spanish and Italian immigrants, along with a healthy dose of financial backing

The Pulp World Gazetteer from the banks of London, gave the capital city a definite European feel. The rich plains of the Pampas in northern half of the country and the rolling plateau of the south, contrast sharply with the rugged Andes along the western border. This gave the country a definitely exotic feel, with a certain air of mystery.

MAPLE WHITE LAND Discovered by Professor George Edward Challenger in 1908 and first explored in 1910, Maple White Land is an enormous plateau that rises from the dense jungles of Venezuela, in South America. An anomalous region like the Forbidden Valley in Mexico, the plateau is hard to find, despite being of considerable size, and supports a large population of dinosaurs and other anachronistic flora and fauna. Like the Forbidden Valley, the surface of the plateau appears to be far larger than its circumference would suggest, which may account for its ability to support such a large and thriving ecosystem. Along with dinosaurs, giant insects and arachnids and a variety of primitive plant life, the plateau is also home to competing tribes of humans and so-called “ape-men”, and has been found to contain large deposits of diamonds and other precious stones.

the army of Napoleon caused great uproar in the Portuguese court, with the King and his retinue fleeing to Brazil and setting up in Rio de Janeiro. The capital of the Portuguese Empire lies in Rio for several years, with the colony formally becoming the Kingdom of Brazil in 1815. The United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and Algarves, was ruled from Rio until 182, when the King of Portugal went back to Lisbon. A year later Brazil gained its independence, with Dom Pedro the first Emperor of Brazil. Emperor Pedro I, and later his son Pedro II, ruled the Brazilian Empire through the late part of the 19th century. Turmoil and revolution resulted in the abdication of Emperor Pedro II in 1889 and the Republic of the United States of Brazil was formed. The land of Brazil was sparsely populated, with heavy rainforests and the largest river system in the world. The great and mysterious Amazon River is the heart of Brazil. Many European expeditions went into the Amazon Basin to explore and bring back the natural treasures of the region. Some of them never returned.

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Bolivia Of all the countries of South America, Bolivia was the most unstable politically, economically, and even geographically. The European wars of Napoleon had their effects felt in far off South America. The Spanish colonial territory known as Upper Peru declared its independence in 1809. Sixteen years of bitter war began, until finally the Spanish were defeated and a new Republic was created. Calling themselves the Republic of Bolivia, they joined forces with neighboring Peru to form the Peru-Bolivian Confederation. Wars with Chile and Argentina, while at first victorious, turned disastrous. By 1840 the Confederation had dissolved, Peru had found its independence, and Bolivia entered a period of political and economic upheaval. Wars with Peru, Chile, and Brazil over the next few decades saw Bolivia lose much of the land it once controlled, including access to the Pacific Ocean and the fertile lands of the west. Rising silver prices around the world had brought about a rise of prosperity in Bolivia near the end of this century. Prospecting, mining, and treasure seeking have all become profitable forms of employment in Bolivia. With governments constantly teetering on the edge of disaster, Bolivia was a land of adventure, intrigue, and danger. The Andean Mountains of Bolivia hold many secrets and treasures. Perhaps even the remains of the Empire of the Inca.

Brazil Once the colony of Portugal, the largest nation of South America has gone through many changes. For three centuries the colony of Brazil was a powerful, though often neglected, colony of Portugal. The invasion of Portugal by

Chile Like many of its neighbors, Chile was a colony of Spain until the forces of France's Napoleon invaded Spain in the early 1800s. This led the people of Chile to break away from Spain. After a brief attempt by the Spanish to re-conquer Chile, the Republic of Chile proclaimed its independence in 1818. This declaration did little to change the colonial lifestyle of Chile, where social stratification, family politics, and the influence of the Roman Catholic Church strongly dictated the course of the Republic. Chilean culture changed very little over most of the 19th century, and the generally stable government was a change of pace in the otherwise turbulent history of South America. In the late 1870s, wars with the new countries of Peru and Bolivia, culminating in the War of the Pacific, brought great expansion to the lands of Chile. Territories rich in nitrate deposits, which were part of their treaty settlements with Bolivia and Peru, lead to an era of national affluence. In 1886, José Manuel Balmaceda was elected president. His economic policies were radically different than those of previous presidents. He began to violate the 75

Pulp Fantastic constitution and slowly began to establish a dictatorship. These actions were not tolerated by the Congress, who voted on deposing him. Balmaceda's refusal to step down led to the beginning of the Chilean Civil War of 1891. The President's forces were quickly defeated, and Balmaceda fled to refuge in the Argentinean Embassy. There he committed suicide, ending his reign.

some heroes were ahead of their time regarding racial equality and opposition to imperialism, only after the period represented in Pulp Fantastic did the empires gain some degree of enlightenment and begin divesting themselves of their colonies.

During the era of pulp fantastic Chile is a highly regimented, tightly controlled, and predominately Catholic republic. While it may look calm and orderly, underneath is a hotbed of subterfuge. The mountains of Chile are large, dangerous, and potentially full of raw gold, silver, and perhaps the lost treasures of the Inca or Aztecs. The "savage Indians" of Chile can also be a surprise to adventurers. They could seek revenge for wrongs done to them by the Chilean government, or they could be out to aid those hoping to find and "preserve" the treasures of the mountains. They may even know of the legendary tunnels and caves under Drakes Passage that lead to a legendary long lost kingdom below Antarctica.

Abyssinia may surprise visitors by having a history traceable to the fourth century. Throughout antiquity, it has been a Christian nation with a notable Jewish population. Their religious leaders claim to have the fabled Ark of the Covenant under lock and key, though none may see it except the religious hierarchy and the Emperor—who claims to be descended from King Solomon.

SHAMBHALA AND AGHARTA

GAZETEER

The twin kingdoms of Shambhala and Agharta exist on the borders of Tibet, nestled within an anomalous region in the Himalayas. Shambhala is a holy land in the Buddhist faith, and was long thought to be purely mythological. However, in recent years a number of Western explorers and mountaineers have returned home with tales of the beautiful warm valley hidden amidst the snowy peaks, and of the curiously ageless and gentle people that live there. Many seem to have returned home oddly rejuvenated, as if they have somehow become younger, while others appear to have undergone some form of spiritual transformation. Like other anomalous regions, Shambhala is extremely difficult to locate, though in this case whether or not the land can be found at all seems to depend on the favor of the people within it. Legends says that those who are destined to find Shambhala will do so, while those with evil in their hearts never will. Agharta is a underground realm that exists somewhere beneath the mountains of Tibet, and can be reached through tunnels in Shambhala. Reputedly the home of the mystical Meh-Teh, the realm is also said to be the site of the dread Forbidden Lamasery of the Mara Brotherhood. Rumors persist that Agharta was once an Atlantean outpost, and that still functioning examples of their transcendent technology can be found there, if one only knows where to look.

Africa In the early 1900s, Africa fell increasingly under European control. The whites’ superior transportation and firepower enabled them to conquer vast swaths of land and take the Africans’ natural resources. Most Europeans saw it as the “white man’s burden” to control natives they viewed as incapable of managing their own affairs. While 76

Abyssinia

All of Abyssinia’s borders are mountainous, making it naturally defensible. In the late 19th century, Italy tried to take it as a colony, but it was humiliated in defeat, as had been all other nations who tried to conquer it. In 1935, Italy tried again, and with the aid of mustard gas, they succeeded, Emperor Halie Selassie fleeing the country. Abyssinia’s future is unclear, as the League of Nations has turned a deaf ear to the emperor’s cries for aid. Visitors will find this country modernized in comparison with other African nations, but it still holds its enigmas. For example, questions persist as to whether the title of emperor is equivalent to the medieval “Prester John.” Likewise, the city of Lalibela holds eleven eight-century-old churches, hewn out of solid rock, supposedly with the aid of angelic beings. The nearby caves have never been fully explored.

The Congo The Congo is foremost a site for human tragedy. The Belgians exploited it first for ivory, then for rubber, and later for copper, gold, and diamonds, with brutal oppression for Congolese who failed to meet their quotas (especially in the first decade of the century, when millions lost their lives). Inhabitants of the eastern Congo faced danger not only from the Belgians, but also from Zanzibar’s slave raiders, from whom they sometimes ransomed their family members. In the North, the Portuguese were slightly better rulers, avoiding the genocidal violence of the Belgians and allowing a Kongolese king to serve as vassal until a 1914 revolt. The pygmy survives as a small minority in the Congo, living in small hunter-gatherer communities in various climates or serving as slaves to the Bantu-speaking Congolese. Using traps, spears, and crossbows with poisoned bolts, they are a source of fascination for the public, one having been displayed in a cage at the 1907 World’s Fair. Safari hunters come to the Congo for its wild game, especially the increasingly hard-to-find elephants, prized for their rich ivory, and an elephant graveyard would make any explorer wealthy beyond imagining, though none has been found yet. A 1909 volume by one hunter notes Congolese locals’ tale of a creature whose description reminded him of a brontosaurus, a tale widely reported in newspapers. A 1919 Smithsonian expedition trying to ascertain the truth ended with a train derailment, resulting in four

The Pulp World Gazetteer BLACK LOTUS POWDER The Black Lotus is a rare parasitic plant which grows naturally only in the deepest jungles of Central Asia. The pollen of the plant, when ground up and dried, forms a powerful psychoactive hallucinogen that its users believe can grant ecstatic visions of different times and places. The priests of the barbaric Tsang-Chan peoples believe that inhaling the dust of the Black Lotus links them to the spirits of everyone who has ever taken the drug or ever will. Black Lotus powder is highly addictive, and regular use creates in the user a peculiar veneration for the Black Lotus itself, resulting in the slow spread of the cultivated plant across the planet. Addicts manifest reduced willpower, a curious group mentality, low empathy and a marked disregard for their own personal safety, making them easily dominated by a powerful personality. The Black Lotus is the subject of a number of dark myths and legends. In some stories, it was carried to Earth as dust on the sandals of the gods, sprouting in their footsteps in the sacred places of the world. In others it was sent from beyond as a sacrament, to allow the faithful to commune with their brethren across time and space in worship of the Old Gods. Still others claim that the Black Lotus is itself a god, sharing itself among its worshipers that it might live in them. Botanists point out that the Black Lotus is misnamed. Though the bloom itself resembles a lotus flower, it is not aquatic and appears unrelated to any of the lotus family (genus Nelumbo). In fact in many ways it is similar to mistletoe, though the two species are unrelated. The shamans of the Tsang-Chan and priests of the Black Scorpion Brotherhood believe that chewing the leaves of the Black Lotus will give them strange powers and an extended life-span, though no scientific evidence has been gathered to support this. Burning the dried leaves of the Black Lotus produces a dense soporific vapor, which if inhaled induces rapid loss of consciousness followed by a period of delirium punctuated with horrific dreams. Some native shamans claim to be able to use the roots of the plant to create a potion that induces a state of hypnotic suggestibility in those who drink it, but again there has been little scientific investigation to support this claim.

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Regardless of the veracity of the many claims made about the plant, its rarity makes live specimens among the most valuable plants in the world today. While the Black Lotus can be grown elsewhere in the world, it is extremely difficult and requires constant care. Some even whisper that in order to grow outside of its natural environment, the plant must be watered in fresh blood, though this is almost certainly a myth. Pound for pound, Black Lotus powder is more valuable on the black market than diamonds, and even dead plants are highly sought after for their pharmacological properties.

deaths. Mysterious roars, not identifiable with any known creature, had been heard earlier in the expedition. Even great men, faced with the full intensity of mystery and suffering the Congo has to offer, have lost their sanity here.

Egypt In 1904, Aleister Crowley, an Order of the Hermetic Dawn member, claimed after visiting the Cairo Museum of Antiquities to have an encounter with a being named Aiwass, in the voices of three Egyptian gods. The Book of the Law was the result of this meeting, a book several members of the Nazi party were known to possess in later years. Many visitors came to this museum, for the discovery of the Valley of the Kings in the Victorian Era kicked off a mania for Egypt. From 1907-1922, archaeologist Howard Carter excavated in the Valley, less a three-year break during the Great War. In November of 1922, Howard Carter discovered the tomb of King Tut, still intact with all its treasures, reigniting the mania. Rumors of the tomb’s fatal curse have been exaggerated. Diplomacy, entanglements, and spies are of far more importance than supposed sightings of walking mummies, as Egypt—Cairo in particular—served as the meeting place of Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Of particular importance there is the recent rise in anti-Semitism, exacerbated by the recent publication of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

The Nile River, economically priceless, became one of the most explored in the world during this period, as adventurers tried to find its source, leading them south through the Sudan and beyond. The river, though many view it as the source of life, is home to Nile crocodile, hippopotami, and over ten varieties of venomous snakes, so it pays to be careful while navigating. Malaria-carrying mosquitos are ubiquitous, and if one goes far enough south, the rapids become … problematic.

The Sahara Desert Travel through the Sahara is likely to be fatal. It’s simply hot, arid, and impassibly large. Even if you’re prepared with a camel, proper dress, and several days of water, violent Tuareg nomads could attack, as could Arab slavers. Finally, there are natural dangers, such as poisonous snakes and scorpions, sandstorms, and even the uneven ground, prone to injuries from sprains to broken bones. Even near the oases, one may find hyenas. So why would anyone go through the Sahara? Wealth. There are lost cities to be found: Zerzura, the white city, an oasis of precious gems and sleeping rulers, for example. It’s possible that this is a false lead, like Timbuktu, but that didn’t stop groups of explorers in the early 1930s from trying to find Zerzura. (Of course, impoverished Timbuktu’s real treasure subsists not in gold, but in in its tomes of forgotten wisdom, its volumes of 77

Pulp Fantastic forbidden lore.) Other explorers may wish for bragging rights, surviving a trip to the top of Kaf Ajnoun, “the Devil’s Hill,” where the Djinn supposedly hold council. Alternatively, clandestine scientific expeditions could search for the secrets behind what would later be named the “Eye of the Sahara,” a 25-mile-wide crystalline depression, looking from a zeppelin rather like a bulls-eye mark. The French Foreign Legion patrols the Sahara, albeit irregularly, making it nominally safer than it was some years earlier. Still, you’re more likely to see bones in the desert than you are a fellow traveler … if you can discern anything besides heat-based hallucinations and mirages.

Southern Africa

GAZETEER

Circumnavigating the southern tip of Africa is still dangerous, given the storms around the Cape of Good Hope, and sailors still report seeing the ghostly Flying Dutchman there on occasion. On land, the once-formidable Zulus have become, while not exactly docile, somewhat tractable in the face of the overwhelming technological superiority of the English and the Boers, and now face crushing poverty. The English defeated the Boers (descended from the Dutch) during the early part of the pulp era, and soon after the start of the Great Depression, the nation of South Africa declared its independence. At the end of the era, there is still great tension between not only the black Africans and the whites, but also among the whites themselves, divided by heritage and language into winners and losers. Additionally, during the entire period, the indigenous people had virtually no economic or civil rights, despite their actually comprising more than 80% of the population. Complicating the matter was South Africa’s third set of rights for “colored” people: those of mixed race and those who came from India, looking for jobs. The southern Zulu would rather keep a discreet silence about some mysteries, such as the Rain Queen of the Karanga, or the carnivorous river god Inkanyamba. The northern, central regions of southern Africa are less explored, giving rise to legends of lost cities—including one confirmed discovery, the abandoned Great Zimbabwe—and of a completely different ethnic group of hunter-gatherers, as yet unknown, using poisoned spears in the bush to catch their prey.

Mami Wata The Igbo people of West Africa sometimes report having encountered a half-human, mermaid-like creature, a witch and a snake-charmer, who steals their children at night or drowns their men in the river during the day. Oddly, she is often seen with modern trinkets, such as watches or lighters. She has been known to possess her followers during ritual dances. Eyewitness reports of her appearances have been surprisingly consistent, but no expedition has turned up reliable evidence of any such being yet.

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idea that lost cities could still exist somewhere in unexplored corners of the world. Zerzura, Opar, Loo, and Kôr are all examples of this trope. Often part and parcel with it, unfortunately, is the racist idea that Africans, unaided, could not build a city themselves—yet it was the Shona, a Bantu people, who built Great Zimbabwe! One never knows what one is going to find in a lost city. Riches? New technologies? Natural wonders as yet unseen? All that’s certain is that adventure and science mandate a complete mapping of the African continent, so that all may benefit from their discoveries.

The Walking Shade The coast of East Africa is rife with tales of a man who never dies. For five centuries, observers have noted a strange, small sign on certain buildings and individuals, a sign locals call a “seal of protection.” In hushed breath, the indigenous people tell stories of a cave shaped like a skull, a wolf and horse who respond only to the speech of the undying, and a stretch of coastland free from the piracy that plagues so much of the Indian Ocean. But, like an apparition, the origin of these legends … and the origin of the skull-shaped wounds on some pirates’ faces … remains impossible to find.

Asia Afghanistan Afghanistan has been the battleground for the “Great Game,” a conflict fought between Great Britain and Russia over control of Central Asia. The First Afghan War (18381842) would end in a humiliating defeat for the British, and although guaranteed free passage, the British Army was slaughtered during its retreat. Meanwhile, the Russian army steadily advanced southward into Afghanistan. During the Victorian Age, the British would try again, sparking the Second Afghan War in 1878. After getting a good part of its army annihilated in Kabul, Britain managed to put an Emir on the throne with whom both Britain and Russia could live. During the 1880s, Emir Abdur Rahman Khan would consolidate his power in Afghanistan, strengthening military control and modernizing the nation. It has become a centerpoint of the intrigues going on between two great World Powers, Russia and The British Empire. Situated at a crossroads in a geographical context, it is riddled with spies as well as those that follow such activities.

Bhutan

Lost Cities

Bhutan is a small country nestled in the Himalayas and was battered by civil war during the Victorian Age. Governors of different territories within Bhutan were vying for power through skirmishes with the others. This came to an end in 1885, when Britain backed Ugyan Wangchuck, the Governor of Trongsa. He would consolidate his power through the rest of the Victorian Age (and was destined to be crowned king in 1907).

Following the publicity surrounding the research about Great Zimbabwe, Europe became very interested in the

Ironically, although Bhutan was strengthening its ties with Britain, it conducted most of its trade with its northern

The Pulp World Gazetteer neighbor Tibet. Tibet actually sided with a rival governor against Wangchuck. A treaty with Britain in 1865 allowed Britain to control Bhutan’s southern border passes with India. It is a part of the British Empire, allowing for a presence in this distant part of the world for the English.

Burma Although not part of the Indian subcontinent, Burma was slowly incorporated into British India during the Victorian Age. Burma shared its northeast border with China, and successfully repulsed four Chinese invasions in the 18th century before being absorbed into British India during the next century. The lowlands of Burma have a tropical climate similar to neighboring Bengal, while the highlands can range all the way up to heavy snowfall and arctic conditions depending on elevation. Like Bengal, Burma was also prone to floods and droughts. It was Burma’s territorial expansion that concerned both the Chinese and the British. Ill-defined borders were part of the problem, as military operations and refugees challenged territorial assumptions. Britain fought Burma in a series of three wars during the 19th century, resulting in total control of Burma in 1886. Burma then became a province of India. Burma would thrive economically in rice production, but at great cost. When the opening of the Suez Canal increased demand for rice, Burmese farmers needed to borrow money to meet it, but often defaulted on their high-interest loans. As a result, the beneficiaries of the Burmese rice trade were British and Indian firms and migrant workers. Many Burmese became unemployed, and neither the ICS nor the British military would accept them into their ranks.

Rangoon The British annexed Rangoon in 1852. The British immediately went to work on modernizing the city, building colleges and bringing western education to the Burmese people. Rangoon primarily exported rice and timber. This stood in stark contrast to the impoverished villages that surrounded it. Rangoon was made the capital of the Burmese Province in 1886.

China The Empire of China was, to many westerners, a complete mystery. The vast landscape of a country full of strange customs, cryptic writings, and imperial intrigue is what kept many people fascinated and sometimes obsessed with this great nation. What many did not realize is that Imperial China was a nation in decline and was rushing headlong into what surely would become the end of the Manchu Dynasty.

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The latter half of the 19th century in China was a time of adventure and excitement. Contact with western cultures had been limited, but the expansion of trade around the world following the Napoleonic Wars caused the Manchu government to have to deal with trade groups from Europe. The most prominent of these groups came from Great Britain, who had colonies in nearby India. The Emperor had declared that China was not impressed with western manufacturing, so they would only accept bars of silver as payment for the silks, teas, and ceramics that were in demand in Europe. Great Britain was concerned that their precious metal reserves were being depleted, so they looked for alternative goods to trade. Their most elaborate scheme involved addicting the Chinese on opium. When the Emperor banned the opium trade in 1838 Great Britain declared war on China, and the first of the Opium Wars began.

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Pulp Fantastic Unfortunately for the Chinese, the First Opium War showed the outdated nature of the Chinese military. Many stunning defeats at the hands of the Royal Navy and by soldiers armed with modern rifles and tactics forced the Manchu government to surrender in 1842. The Treaty of Nanking forced China to open her ports and created the British colony on the island of Hong Kong. This foothold in China, along with trade centers in Shanghai, finally allowed western governments to have access to the great wealth of products and labor that they had long desired. China, and the inscrutable china man, was for the most part a great mystery to most of the western world. The high quality of silk and porcelain, the exotic art and treasures of the ancient land, and the strange forms of martial arts they used to protect them all drew large numbers of adventurers to China. If one believed, half of the rumors of what could be found within China, then fame and fortune awaits!

India

GAZETEER

The Indian subcontinent has a varied geography. While most people think of India as a jungle, the entire spectrum of climates can be found on the subcontinent. The British typically divided the subcontinent into northern and southern India, with the Vindhya and Satpura mountain ranges acting as a natural dividing line. Northern India is bordered by mountain ranges along most of its borders. The largest of the northern ranges is the Himalayas, which India shares with Bhutan, Nepal, and Tibet. The highest peaks in the world are found here, including Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. It is named for the British Surveyor General, Sir George Everest, who first spotted it. To the west are the Hindu-Kush Mountains that separate British India from Afghanistan. The Vindhya and Saptura mountains, as mentioned, border the south.

THE ISLAND OF THE SKULL For centuries sailors in the South Seas have told each other blood-curdling tales of the “cursed isle” and the “cradle of monsters”, also known as the Island of the Skull. Supposedly an uncharted island located far from the shipping lanes and wreathed in a permanent bank of curiously still fog, the Island of the Skull is named for the numerous carvings of human skulls found among the ruins that sprawl across the isles southern coast. Few have landed there, and of those few even fewer have lived to tell of it. Legend tells of an island of lush jungle, swamp-land, deep crevasses and high mountains, bearing flora and fauna both wild and monstrous.

Three major rivers dominate Northern India: the Brahmaputra, the Ganges, and the Indus. These rivers deposit rich, fertile soil during frequent flooding, and are densely populated as a result (although the Indus is threatened by the Thar Desert to the east). Southern India is home to two environments, the coastal 80

regions and the Deccan Plateau. The Deccan Plateau is separated from the coast by two mountain ranges known collectively as the Ghats. These mountain ranges keep the plateau hot all year long. The coastal regions, like northern India, have rich soil. Coastal India usually has a mild winter, then a short hot season, a rainy season, and then another hot season before winter. Most of India is subject to the rainy season between June and September. This is the period of monsoons, a seasonal wind that brings heavy rains and flooding. While the Indian people welcome the rains after a hot season, the resultant flooding can cause loss of life and crop damage. The British Empire politically separated British-run India into three Presidencies: Bengal, Bombay, and Madras. These three regions acted almost independently of each other, and up until the late 1870s. Civilians considered themselves exclusively belonging to one of the Presidencies (e.g. the Bengal Civil Service), rather than India in general. Among these regions were also many autonomous “native states,” the princes, Maharajas, which were left to run their own affairs, providing that they cooperated with British rule.

Japan The Tokugawa (or Edo) period of Japan’s history began in 1603. This time was marked by a major decrease in the amount of violence that the Japanese people were accustomed to surviving. Except for common problems of the time such as the occasional peasant revolt or famine, life for the average citizen was greatly improved. However,

The Pulp World Gazetteer the country remained in almost total isolation from the outside world. The first significant exhibit of Japanese items in the west was during the London International Exhibition of 1862. These items were primarily collected and presented by Rutherford Alcock, the British minister of Japan. It would be five more years (1867) before the Japanese government presented their own cultural displays to the world. In 1868, just one year later, the shogunate government was overthrown in a popular revolt and Meiji emperor was returned to power. It was under this government that Japan was opened to ‘westernization’. One group that did not benefit from the Tokugawa peace or the return of the Meiji reign was the little known Ainu people, who by this time had been forced to live only on the northern most island of Hokkido. The members of this hunter/trapper/farmer culture appeared to have more in common with American Indians than they did with their Asian overlords. The Ainu were systematically persecuted not only for their Caucasian racial stock but also because of the strange animistic religion they practiced. The Ainu religion was one of the last ‘Bear Cults’ to survive into the 19th Century. Despite the pulp image of Samurai and Ninja clans operating in Japan in the 1930’s, the feudal age of Japan really ended with the Meiji restoration of 1868. Japan of this new era was a nation struggling to become modern, despite suffering economic disaster from both the Great Depression and the powerful Kanto Earthquake of 1930. Though the land was ruled by Emperor Hirohito, it was controlled by a network of political groups, secret societies, and cults. Power brokering was commonplace, but the military, through assassination and persecution, amassed power through the decade. In 1931, China’s warring factions began to expand power into Japanese-claimed Manchuria. This gave the military an easy excuse to consolidate power, as well as reclaim Manchuria by force. After heavy criticism for its actions, Japan pulled out of the already-weak League of Nations in 1933. By 1936 there are threats and rumors of war with China, and even the most devout pulp heroes are reluctant to take but a few assignments into the heart of Japan.

Australia The Australian colonies of Great Britain covered the entire continent and the surrounding islands. By the late 1800s, the colonies were: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory, New Zealand, and Tasmania. Many of the early British immigrants to Australia were prisoners, sent to the far outreaches of the empire as punishment for a variety of crimes. By 1868 penal transportations officially ended, though they had been sparse for several years before that.

lation and prosperity. During the gold rush, many people from England, Ireland, China, and the United States came to Australia to discover not only gold but creatures that defied description. Kangaroos, koala, kookaburra, emu, and platypus were just a few of the strange things they found. The strangest things encountered by the new inhabitants of Australia were the old inhabitants, the aboriginals of Australia. These strange people, living in "primitive" nomadic groups, were a great puzzle to the newcomers. How did they get to the isolated continent? How did they develop their strange customs? And should they be given rights and privileges of the "civilized" colonists? The aborigines’ oral history, their talk of the ancient era known as the Dreamtime, all seemed to be a collection of myths and legends to the English colonists. The boomerang and the strange musical instruments used by the aborigines added further mystery to these already curious people.

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The vast deserts, crocodile filled mangrove swamps, thick tropical jungles, and sweeping grasslands make Australia a diverse environment for exploration. The largely unexplored desert regions could be host to ancient ruins, lost cities, or even gateways to the aboriginal Dreamtime.

Antarctica At the south end of the world is the frozen continent of Antarctica. Its snow- and ice-cover and high elevation combine to make it the coldest place on Earth. The sub-zero temperatures freeze the moisture out of the air, making most of Antarctica drier than the Sahara Desert. There are no native inhabitants on the continent, but various exploration teams may be encountered. Because of the dangers of this most hostile environment, no permanent human settlements exist anywhere on the continent. Wildlife is restricted to seals, penguins, birds and fish. There are no polar bears in Antarctica. Nearly all of Antarctica lies within the Antarctic Circle. Along the coastline, snowfall averages 20 to 40 inches per year, and temperatures range from 40 to -40 degrees. Most of the coastline is mountainous, and travel to the interior is difficult. Rumors of a hole in the middle of the continent, leading into the Earth's interior, have persisted for years. No one has ever returned from an expedition with evidence of the legendary hole, or at least no one was ever believed. Stories also persist of a lost world; a region of tropical environs surrounded by nearly impenetrable mountain.

The discovery of gold in New South Wales in 1851 and in Victoria shortly after that brought a surge of both popu81

Chapter 4 The Pulp Years

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his chapter is not a complete history on the Pulp Era, it is an overview of the things that happened during the period, a timeline and a general sense of what is what. There are many other books both in reference and Role Playing that go into much more detail of the era than we have gone into here, and any of them can be used as supplemental material to the pulp fantastic Role Playing Game.

Interesting Times The ’pulp era’ is a little difficult to pin down. Pulps themselves, in one form or another, existed since the late 1800’s with fantastic tales and adventures drawn from the Old West and far-away places being sold to readers in New England and Britain. Tales of courage, daring, and science were popularized through the turn of the century, the Great War, and well beyond. But the pulps hit their stride in the 1930’s, as many people turned to cheaper entertainment to try and escape the rigors of the Great Depression and the political upheavals happening all over the world. For many, this decade between the wars would define the Pulp genre.

The Great War The ‘War to End all Wars’ started with the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in 1914, though it had been a long time in coming. Tensions between various European powers had been escalating and brewing for years. Skirmishes were a common occurrence as old nobilities vied for power over one-another. The assassination was simply a match in a room full of gas. Everything simply exploded. War was far from new in Europe, but this war would change everything. New weapons were brought to the field, including tanks, aircraft, and the horror of chemical weapons. Nearly twenty million people would die in the Great War’s four years, devastating the European powers. The cost of war was simply too high for the ‘old world’ mindset to continue. The end of the war found Germany as the defeated instigator, much of the rest of Europe in ruins, and the United States both victorious and relatively unscathed. The Treaty of Versailles ended the war, laying all of the blame on Germany’s feet. It also established the League of Nations,

a political body that was supposed to mediate disputes between nations. It only had modest success, even at its inception. For better or worse, the Great War had accomplished bringing in the Pulp age. But it had done little to settle the disputes in Europe, and have even invited more. Skirmishes and government upheavals would last for the next twenty years, bringing rise to Fascism and Communism. The old ‘class system’ was falling apart as the workers of the world, who had suffered the most in the war, were no longer content with their nobility. The ‘War to End All Wars’ concluded with an even more unstable world largely in economic collapse, and seemed to ensure that more, even more vicious wars would be coming.

The Roaring 20’s For the United States, the 1920’s seemed like a period of great promise. Though Prohibition had led to dramatic increases in crime, they were considered to be good times. The United States didn’t suffer as badly in the ‘Great War’ as Europe. Indeed, most of Europe owed the United States great amounts of money. Cities hadn’t been brought to their knees and required rebuilding. Unlike the rest of the world, everything in the United States was up and running. With enthusiasm bordering on delirium, Americans charged to the future. Scientific achievement was often celebrated without often being understood. Technology promised cures for every disease, as a new convenient gadget for any worldly inconvenience. Companies spent millions buying into the idea. Movies had changed entertainment as well, bringing the glamor and glitz of a new age of celebrities, as well as some mindless fun over the weekends at the matinee. In the homes, radio programs of music, comedy and sports brought people together in a way that hadn’t happened before. It really seemed that the miracles of technology and ‘new science’ was reshaping the world. But beneath the wood grain and brass gadgetry, however, lied a different image, even in the incredibly optimistic America. Crime and corruption were rampant. Labor Unions had turned to organized crime for muscle, and were easily infiltrated by Communist insurgents. Prohibition and dramatic corruption had destroyed public confidence in the government and police. Everyone seemed to be drinking, and they were in much larger numbers

Pulp Fantastic BLACK THURSDAY Though most of Europe struggled in the 1920’s, America had enjoyed a tremendous financial boom. The Great War that had devastated Europe barely touched the Americas, and all the new science and technology that the war brought was being applied to civilian life. New and greater uses of electricity promised a brighter and greater future for all. Banks and citizens invested millions hoping to cash on the next new technological or medical innovation that promised to change the world. And, for awhile, things were well and good. But the euphoria of the time was reckless. The first sign, for America, that trouble was coming was the Dustbowls of the Midwest. Terrible farming habits and a windy drought had eroded the earth, devastating crops. Precious, fertile land was literally blowing away in a choking wind. Farm after farm failed, destroying that aspect of the American economy. Technology, too, was floundering. Despite great achievements, the demands of the investors and the promises of the scientists, just couldn’t possibly be met. Enthusiasm became frustration, and the sell-offs began. The decline started most severely on 24 October, 1929. Seeking to escape disappointing markets, investors began to cash out in large amounts. The ‘boom’ was going ‘bust’. By 29 October, 1929, the infamous ‘Black Tuesday’, the bottom had dropped out of the market, despite J.P. Morgan’s last minute attempt to shore it up. Citizens that had invested heavily couldn’t manage to sell their now near-worthless stocks, and often lost their homes. Businesses folded from their losses, causing dramatic unemployment. Even worse, many banks had overextended into the markets and were unable to pay their member’s accounts, destroying the personal savings of millions. Within a few months of Black Tuesday, the United States had joined in the Great Depression. Even worse, since the United States was one of the few nations supporting the struggling nations within Europe, Europe’s already-destitute collapsed even farther without its aid. The party that was the Roaring 20’s had left one heck of a hangover.

GAZETEER

than before prohibition set in. Things got so bad in Chicago that the city is still known for its booze-smuggling gangsters, a full eighty years later. On top of this, race relations were atrocious in the states, and not just for black men. Due to economic disaster in the rest of the world, immigrants came to American shores by the millions. Trouble is, there weren’t that many jobs even in the land of prosperity. Small ethnic clashes over work and older disputes erupted frequently. Race relations in the south were even worse. Many sons of the Confederacy had power, and weren’t too fond of the black race that they blamed the Civil War upon. Segregation was the law, and any man, regardless of color, often had more to worry about than just getting arrested. Racial tolerance was nearly unheard of. The decade of American excess may have been good times for some. All that excess, however, came at a terrible cost, and the worst of it was just around the corner.

Timeline 1901 – 1939 1901 (January) Queen Victoria dies. Prince Albert Edward becomes King Edward VII. The Boston Gun Club builds a large canon in Florida (United States) which they say will be used for exploration of the Moon. The firing of this canon garners the attention of the war-like, space faring Martians.

(August) President McKinley signs an Executive Order creating Division 4, the American version of the British MI7 group. (September) President William McKinley of the United States is assassinated. Sam McCord strikes the largest gold strike in the Alaskan Territories. Creatures believed to be from the planet Mars invade London; they are seemingly defeated by an unknown synthetic toxin; the event is chronicled by H.G. Wells, but due to the efforts of the Invisible College, the world regards his report as a work of fiction.

1902 (January) 5 workers killed in explosion during IRT subway construction (New York City) (March) American Automobile Association, AAA, founded in Cleveland, Ohio (April) 1st motion picture theater opens in Los Angeles. Denmark is 1st country to adopt fingerprinting to identify criminals. (May) Sherlock Holmes investigates the “Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place.” (May) Cuba gains independence from Spain. (August) President Teddy Roosevelt became 1st U.S. chief executive to ride in a car. (December) Trans-Pacific cable links Hawaii to US. Boers and British army sign peace treaty

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The Pulp Years

1903

1905

(January) San Francisco - Hawaii telegraph cable opens for public use. Harry Houdini performs at Rembrandt Theater, Amsterdam. 1st regular transatlantic radio broadcast between U.S. and England. Harry Houdini escapes police station Halvemaansteeg in Amsterdam.

(March) Tsar Nicholas II of Russia agrees to create an elected assembly (the Duma). U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt begins a full term. Russian troops begin to retreat from Mukden after losing 100,000 troops in 3 days. The Japanese capture of Mukden (now Shenyang) completes the rout of Russian armies in Manchuria.

(March) The killer known as “The Hoxton Creeper” resurfaces in London after being presumed dead for over five years following an encounter with Sherlock Holmes. By means unknown the brutish back-breaker finds his way to America, apparently tracking the notorious Borgia Pearl after its sale to an unknown American millionaire. Over the next three decades, for reasons unknown, he will find and murder every owner of the Pearl. (June) Ford Motor Corporation and Pepsi Cola Company both form. (August) Joe Pulitzer donated $1 million to Columbia U and begins Pulitzer Prizes (December) First motorized flight performed at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina by two bicycle makers from Ohio, Wilber and Orville Wright. Fire at Chicago’s Iriquois Theater kills 602

1904 (February) Russo-Japanese War begins between Russia and Japan, with Japan launching a surprise attack on Port Arthur. The United States of America gains control of the Panama Canal Zone. (March) Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany becomes the first person to make a political recording of a document, using Thomas Edison’s cylinder. Russian troops in Korea retreat toward Manchuria, followed by 100,000 Japanese troops. (April) The Louisiana Purchase Exposition World’s Fair opens in St. Louis, Missouri. People claim that Government agencies chased a “Beast Man” through the fair. The government flatly denies any such activity. (May) U.S. Army engineers begin work on The Panama Canal. Cy Young of the Boston Americans throws the first perfect game in the modern era of baseball. (July) The third Modern Olympic Games opens in St. Louis, Missouri as part of the World’s Fair. The British expedition under Colonel Francis Younghusband takes Lhasa in Tibet.

(April) Albert Einstein works on the special theory of relativity as well as the theory of Brownian motion. (May) The Japanese fleet under Admiral Heihachiro Togo destroys the Russian fleet under Admiral Zinovi Petrovich Rozhdestvenski in a 2-day battle. (June) The Norwegian Parliament declares the union with Sweden dissolved, and Norway achieves full independence. (September) Russo-Japanese War end results in disastrous defeat for Russia; a treaty mediated by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt is signed by victor Japan and Russia. Russia cedes the island of Sakhalin and port and rail rights in Manchuria to Japan, and major civil unrest at home for Russia.

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(October) The Wright Brothers’ third airplane (Wright Flyer III) stays in the air for 39 minutes with Wilbur piloting. This is the first airplane flight lasting over 1/2 an hour. Tsar Nicholas II is forced to grant Russia’s first constitution, conceding a national assembly (Duma) with limited powers. (November) Prince Carl of Denmark becomes King Haakon VII of Norway.

1906 (February) British launch HMS Dreadnaught, first “dreadnought” class battleship. (March) Mount Vesuvius erupts and devastates Naples. (July) Alfred Dreyfus is exonerated. He is reinstalled in the French Army on July 21, thus ending the Dreyfus Affair. (August) The first Victor Victrola, a phonographic record player, is manufactured. (November) Thomas Carnacki, psychical researcher, is nearly killed during the “Black Veil” investigation. Dr Ronald Aster, a colleague, dies of fright after refusing to take protective measures.

(October) The Russian Baltic Fleet fires on British trawlers it mistakes for Japanese torpedo boats in the North Sea. The first underground line of the New York City Subway opens.

(December) The first German submarine, U-1, enters the German Imperial Navy.

(November). Republican incumbent Theodore Roosevelt defeats Democrat Alton B. Parker. The first successful caterpillar track is made (it later revolutionizes construction vehicles and land warfare).

(March) Elections to the new Parliament of Finland are the first in the world with woman candidates, as well as the first elections in Europe where universal suffrage is applied. Nineteen women are elected. The first taxicabs with taxi meters begin operating in London.

1907

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Pulp Fantastic (July) Korea becomes a protectorate of Japan. Parties led by T. W. Edgeworth David became the first to climb Mount Erebus and to reach the South Magnetic Pole.

1908 (January) A long-distance radio message is sent from the Eiffel Tower for the first time. (June) The Tunguska event, also known as the Russian explosion, occurs near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Siberia, Russian Empire. The cause of the explosion is never determined, though theories range from the explosion of an extraterrestrial craft to the impact of cometary debris. Shortly after the explosion, the first samples of Element X are discovered.

(April) Robert Peary, Matthew Henson, and four Eskimo explorers come within a few miles of the North Pole. They discover a previously unknown Martian advance base, what they discover inside is of particular interest. (July) Louis Bleriot is the first man to fly across the English Channel (thus a large open body of water) in a heavierthan-air craft. (November) The U.S. Navy founds a navy base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (December) King Albert I of Belgium succeeds his uncle, Leopold II, on the throne.

1910 (April) Comet Halley is visible from Earth.

(July) Robert Peary sets sail for the North Pole. Ordered by his superiors in Division 4 to investigate the source of strange radio signals. (September) At Ft. Myer, Virginia, U.S.A. Thomas Selfridge becomes the first person to die in an airplane crash. The pilot, Orville Wright, is severely injured in the crash but recovers. Henry Ford produces his first Model T automobile.

GAZETEER

(October) Thomas Carnacki files a patent for his “Electric Pentacle”. (November) Western bandits Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid are supposedly killed in Bolivia, after being surrounded by a large group of soldiers. There are many rumors to the contrary however, and their grave sites are unmarked. A 40,000-year-old Neanderthal boy skeleton is found at Le Moustier in southwest France. Professor George Edward Challenger mounts a solo expedition to South America, during which he claims to have discovered evidence that several dinosaur species have survived into the modern day. His evidence is scoffed at by scientific authorities, and the intense interest (and mockery) of the press results in Challenger assaulting several journalists.

1909 (March) William Howard Taft succeeds Theodore Roosevelt to become the 27th President of the United States. Einar Dessau uses a short-wave radio transmitter, becoming the first radio broadcaster. Theodore Roosevelt leaves New York for a post-presidency safari in Africa. The trip is sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and National Geographic Society.

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(May) Edward VII of England dies from an unknown lung condition. George V succeeds him as King of England. History records the disease that kills Edward VII as bronchitis. Privately, physicians suspect a pathogen left over from the Martian invasion of 1901. (June) The DELAG Zeppelin dirigible, Deutschland, makes the first commercial passenger flight from Friedrichshafen to Düsseldorf in Germany. The flight takes nine hours. (July) A wireless telegraph sent from the SS Montrose results in the identification, arrest and execution of murderer Dr. Hawley Crippen. (October) Portugal becomes a republic; King Manuel II of Portugal flees to England. Professor Challenger mounts a second expedition to South America, accompanied by Lord John Roxton, Edward Dunn Malone and Professor Arthur Summerlee, and discovers Maple White Land, the fabled “Lost World”. On their return, Challenger presents a live pterodactyl to the Royal Zoological Institute. Despite the creature escaping, Challenger is vindicated.

1911 (January) In London, in what becomes known as the Siege of Sidney Street, the Metropolitan Police and the Scots Guards engage in a shootout with a criminal gang of Latvian anarchists held up in a building in the East End. (March) The United States Army formally adopts the M1911 pistol as its standard sidearm, thus giving the gun its 1911 designation. (May) Pancho Villa launches an attack against government troops in Ciudad Juarez without Madero’s permission. Government troops surrender May 10.

The Pulp Years (June) Thomas Carnacki gains wide notoriety when an investigation of an apparently haunted ship ends with the destruction of the vessel under mysterious circumstances. (September) The liner RMS Olympic, sister ship to the RMS Titanic, collides with the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Hawke outside Southampton, England. Sabotage to the Olympics steering mechanism by the Order of Victoria is suspected. (December) George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck are crowned as Emperor of India and Empress Consort, respectively, in New Delhi.

1912 (January) New Mexico is admitted as the 47th U.S. state. British polar explorer Robert Falcon Scott and a team of 4 become the second expeditionary group to reach the South Pole. (February) Arizona is admitted as the 48th U.S. state. (April) On April 10, the British ocean liner, RMS Titanic, leaves on her maiden voyage for New York, three days later she will strike and iceberg and sink to the bottom of the ocean, taking with her the lives of more than 1,500 people. Again the Order of Victoria is suspected. (May) The 1912 Summer Olympics open in Stockholm, Sweden. (October) While campaigning in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, former President Theodore Roosevelt is shot by saloonkeeper John Schrank. With a fresh flesh wound and the bullet still in him, Roosevelt delivers his scheduled speech. After finishing his speech, he went to the hospital, where it was deduced that if he had not had his speech in his breast pocket when he was shot, he most likely would have died.

(July) The 50th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Gettysburg draws thousands of American Civil War veterans and their families to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. (December) The Federal Reserve is created by Woodrow Wilson. The British steamship Calvadas disappears in the Marmara Sea with 200 hands on board.

1914 (January) Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce, American editorialist, journalist, short-story writer and satirist, disappears while traveling with Pancho Villa, documenting the Mexican Civil War, and is never seen again. (March) Katherine Routledge and her husband arrive in Easter Island to make the first true study of it (they depart August 1915) (June) Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and his wife are assassinated in Sarajevo.

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(July) The Signal Corps of the United States Army is formed, giving definite status to its air service for the first time. Tsar Nicholas II of Russia orders a full mobilization against Austria-Hungary. (August) Germany, an ally of Austria-Hungary, declares war on Russia and demands the neutrality of Russia’s ally France; France refuses and mobilizes.

(November) Woodrow Wilson wins a landslide victory over Republican incumbent William Howard Taft. Taft’s base is undercut by Progressive Party candidate (and former Republican) Theodore Roosevelt, who finishes second, ahead of Taft. Edward Dunn Malone, assisted by Arthur Conan Doyle, publishes The Lost World, his account of the Maple White Land expedition of 1910.

1913 (February) The United State Congress passes the Income Tax amendment to the US Constitution. (April) The United States Congress passes the Senatorial Election amendment to the US Constitution. (June) Thomas Carnacki publishes a paper detailing the workings of his “Mentaphone”, a device for detecting and recording mental impulses.

87

Pulp Fantastic (September) No member of the Triple Entente (Britain, France, or Russia) may seek a separate peace with the Central Powers. First Battle of the Marne: Northeast of Paris, the French 6th Army under General Maunoury attacks German forces nearing Paris. Over 2 million fight (500,000 killed/wounded) in the Allied victory. China declares neutrality. (December) British and German soldiers interrupt World War I to celebrate Christmas, beginning the Christmas truce.

1915 (January)  The first use of poison gas in WW1, by Germany at Bolimow in Poland. The United States House of Representatives rejects a proposal to give women the right to vote. German zeppelins bomb the cities of Great Yarmouth and King’s Lynn in the United Kingdom for the first time, killing more than 20. (February) Germany declares a submarine blockade of Great Britain. Any ship approaching England is considered a legitimate target.

GAZETEER

(May) The RMS Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat, killing 1,198. (September) The Pennsylvania Railroad begins electrified commuter rail service between Paoli and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, using overhead AC trolley wires for power. This type of system is later used in long-distance passenger trains between New York City, Washington, D.C., and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The first prototype tank is tested for the British Army for the first time. Former cartoonist John B. Gruelle is given a patent for his Raggedy Ann doll. (October) The U.S. recognizes the Mexican government of Venustiano Carranza de facto. (November) The governments of Britain and France secretly agree to overtake the Middle-Eastern regions of the Ottoman Empire (mostly Syria and Iraq), and establish their own zones of influence.

1916 (January) Paris is bombed by German zeppelins for the first time. (February) The Battle of Verdun begins in France. (March) Pancho Villa leads about 500 Mexican raiders in an attack against Columbus, New Mexico, killing 12 U.S. soldiers. A garrison of the U.S. 13th Cavalry Regiment fights back and drives them away. President Woodrow Wilson sends 12,000 United States troops over the U.S.-Mexico border to pursue Pancho Villa; the 13th Cavalry regiment enters Mexican territory. The U.S. 7th and 10th Cavalry regiments under John J. Pershing cross the border to join the hunt for Villa; however Pershing’s real missing was to capture a Mayan crystal skull from Villa by any means necessary. (April) The light switch is invented by William J. Newton and Morris Goldberg. The British 47th Brigade, 16th Irish 88

Division is decimated in one of the most heavily concentrated German gas attacks of the war. (June) U.S. President Woodrow Wilson signs a bill incorporating the Boy Scouts of America. (August) Portugal joins the Allies. (September) British pilot William Leefe-Robinson becomes the first to shoot down a German airship over Britain. Charles Foster Kane runs for governor of New York State and loses.

1917 (January) President Woodrow Wilson calls for “peace without victory” in Europe. (March) Professor Challenger and Lord Roxton take a second expedition to Maple White Land, returning with dinosaur eggs and diamonds. (February) The United States severs diplomatic relations with Germany. Mata Hari is arrested for spying. United States ambassador to the United Kingdom, Walter H. Page, is shown the intercepted Zimmermann Telegram, in which Germany offers to give the American Southwest back to Mexico if Mexico declares war on the United States. Russian Tsar is over thrown, Provincial Government under Alexander Kerensky now in place. (April) U.S. President Woodrow Wilson asks the U.S. Congress for a declaration of war on Germany, and they grant it. (November) The workers of Petrograd in Russia, led by the Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin, attack the Kerensky Provisional Government.

1918 (January) President Woodrow Wilson declares his 14 points as the path to permanent world peace. (March) Germany, Austria and Bolshevist Russia sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, ending Russia’s involvement in the war. Moscow becomes the capital of Soviet Russia. (April) Baron von Richthofen, “the Red Baron” is killed in aerial dog-fight. (June) Grand Duke Michael Romanov is murdered, thereby becoming the first of the Romanovs to be murdered by the Bolsheviks. (October) In the Argonne Forest in France, U.S. Corporal Alvin C. York almost single-handedly kills 25 German soldiers and captures 132. (November) At eleven o’clock on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, the war ends as Germany and Allies sign an Armistice. (December) President Woodrow Wilson departs by ship to the Paris Peace Conference, becoming the first United

The Pulp Years States President to travel to any foreign country while holding office.

1919 (June) The United States Congress approves the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which would guarantee suffrage to women, and sends it to the U.S. states for ratification. League of Nations formed, USA is not a member. The United States fails to ratify a peace treaty with Germany and sues for a separate peace. John Moses Browning finalizes the design for the M1919 .30 (30-06) caliber medium machine gun, the first widely distributed and practical air cooled medium machine gun introduced to the US Military. It receives an official designation and production is started in the same year, a very uncommon happening.

1920 (January) Prohibition goes into effect in the United States as the “Law of the Land” by the passage of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution the following year. (July) Pancho Villa takes over Sabina and contacts de la Huerta to offer his conditional surrender. He signs his surrender on July 28. (August) The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is passed, guaranteeing women’s suffrage. (September) A bomb in a horse wagon explodes in front of the J. P. Morgan building in New York City, killing 38 and injuring 400. The first domestic radio sets come to stores in the United States; a Westinghouse radio costs $10. (October) The League of Nations moves its headquarters to Geneva, Switzerland. (November) In Geneva, the first assembly of the League of Nations is held. (December) The Brussels Conference establishes a timetable for German war reparations intended to extend for over 42 years.

1921 (March) Warren G. Harding is inaugurated as the 29th President of the United States. (April) The Allies of World War I reparations commission announces that Germany has to pay 132 billion gold marks ($33 trillion) in annual installments of 2.5 billion. (November) During an Armistice Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknowns is dedicated by U.S. President Warren G. Harding. Russian Civil War ends after three years with Bolsheviks, led by Lenin and Trotsky, in full control.

1922 (February) President of the United States Warren G. Harding introduces the first radio in the White House. (March) United States commissions its first aircraft carrier, the USS Langley. (April) Joseph Stalin is appointed General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party. (June) U.S. President Warren G. Harding makes his first speech on the radio. (August) United States and Germany sign the Treaty of Berlin, officially ending the state of war between the two countries. (October) Benito Mussolini becomes the youngest Premier in the history of Italy. (November) British archaeologist Howard Carter discovers the tomb of Tutankhamen in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. When he enters the tomb on November 21, along with Lord Carnarvon, he is the first person to step into the tomb in over 3,000 years.

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1923 (January) Juan de la Cierva invents the autogyro, a rotary-winged aircraft with an unpowered rotor. (July) Poncho Villa is assassinated. (September) In Lakehurst, New Jersey, the first American airship, the USS Shenandoah, takes to the sky for the first time. (October) Roy and Walt Disney Founded The Walt Disney Company. Warren G. Harding dies in office and is succeeded by Calvin Coolidge, as President of the United States. (November) In Munich, Adolf Hitler leads the Nazis in an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the German government; police and troops crush the attempt the next day. (December) The crown prince of Japan survives an assassination attempt in Tokyo.

1924 (January) Following the death of Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin immediately begins to purge his rivals to clear the way for his leadership. (April) Adolf Hitler is sentenced to 5 years in jail for his participation in the Beer Hall Putsch (he serves only 8 months). Harry Grindell Matthews demonstrates his new weapon, the death ray, in London but fails to convince the British War Office of its importance; however he does gain the attention of MI7. (May) J. Edgar Hoover is appointed head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. (June) U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signs the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 into law, granting citizenship to 89

Pulp Fantastic all Native Americans born within the territorial limits of the United States. (October) Zeppelin LZ-126 makes a transatlantic delivery flight from Friedrichshafen, Germany, to Lakehurst, New Jersey.

Germany joins League of Nations; Spain resigns membership. (February) Discovery of Mayan city ruins in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula.

1925

(March) Robert Goddard launches liquid fuel rocket at Auburn, Massachusetts.

Conference on International Arms Trade in Geneva produces the Geneva Protocol of 1925 against chemical and bacteriological warfare. The US and Japan refuse to ratify the agreement. Arkansas passes a law making it unlawful to have sex before marriage. An estimated 5% of liquor that is smuggled into the U.S. is intercepted by law enforcement officials. Adolph Hitler founds the Schutzstaffel or SS. They begin as his protective guard and eventually become the elite police corps of the Nazi party. Russia and Japan sign agreement to end rift left by the 1904-1905 Russo-Japanese war. Japan agrees to withdraw troops from Sakhalin Island in exchange for oil and coal concessions

GAZETEER

Rudolph Valentino dies of perforated ulcer at age 31.

U.S. bootleggers begin to use Thompson submachine guns.

General vaccine programs against tuberculosis begin in the United States.

(April) German serial killer Fritz Haarmann, “The Butcher of Hanover,” who murdered at least 26 young boys and sold the flesh of some as meat, is executed by decapitation (May) John T. Scopes is arrested for teaching evolution in violation of Tennessee state law. Despite Clarence Darrow defense (against politician William Jennings Bryan), Scopes is found guilty on July 21. He is fined $100 plus court costs, but the entire case is dismissed on a technicality on appeal, in January 1927, to the Tennessee Supreme Court. The hydrocarbon synthesis necessary for the development of synthetic oil (the Fischer-Tropsch reaction) is discovered in Germany. (April) Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg elected president of Germany

1926 Nikola Tesla erects radio towers at the Waldorf in New 90

York. Claims to get signals from outer space.

Revenue from bootlegging in the U.S. reaches estimated $3.6 billion. (May) U.S. Commander Richard E. Byrd and pilot Floyd Bennett fly over the North Pole. (October) Harry Houdini dies in Detroit from peritonitis. The Kodak Co. produces the first 16 millimeter movie film. Some 32,000 speakeasies operating in New York City; roughly double the number of taverns prior to Prohibition. American A.A. Michelson uses a series of mirrors set up over 25 miles to measure the speed of light. Rin Tin Tin, is biggest box office star of 1926.

1927 New Years’ Day: Forty-one deaths at New York’s Bellevue Hospital due to bad booze. An estimated 50,000 deaths thus far during Prohibition, plus hundreds of thousands of non-fatal blindness and paralysis cases. Al Capone’s operations receive an estimated $60,000,000 from bootlegging. The Stork Club on New York’s 53rd street opens. (January) Transatlantic telephone service established between New York and London. (May) Charles Lindbergh flies solo from Curtis Field, Long Island to Paris, France in his monoplane, Spirit of St. Louis. U.S. Supreme Court finds Texas law barring blacks from voting in State Primaries unconstitutional. (March) American consulate in Nanking ransacked by Chinese troops.  U.S. inventor Philo T. Farnsworth demonstrates electronic television in San Francisco. New York Yankees baseball star Babe Ruth hits his 60th home run for the season. World’s largest vehicular tunnel, the Holland Tunnel, opens to connect New York City and Jersey City. Ford unveils the Model A to replace the antiquated Model T. Crowds flock to Ford’s

The Pulp Years Detroit and New York offices to see the new automobile Duke Ellington and his orchestra open for a four-year run at The Cotton Club in New York City’s Harlem. Show Boat opens on Broadway and becomes one of the biggest stage musical hits in history. (December) Joseph Stalin’s control of Russia almost certain. Communist party bans all opposition to Stalin’s policies. Leon Trotsky and others purged from the party. Average annual income in U.S., $2,400. Al Capone’s annual income estimated between $20 million and $100 million. First tetanus shot administered to humans.

1928 Federal Reserve withdraws $80 billion from the US Government. Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin. Third International Congress of Eugenics. At the conference, a Dr. Robie calls for the sterilization of 14 million Americans with low IQ scores. Herbert Hoover defeats Al Smith, becomes U.S. president Stock market breaks and falls in June, but recovers quickly. Market breaks again December 7, but once again recovers. Trading volume reaches almost seven million. Amelia Earhart becomes first woman to cross the Atlantic First television sets available to consumers; $75 each Mickey Mouse premieres in Plane Crazy, a silent cartoon parody of the Lindbergh craze. General Electric begins first regularly scheduled television broadcasts, three days a weeks for two hours each, at station WGY in Schenectady, N.Y . (July) Women’s events are featured for the first time at the summer Olympic Games in Amsterdam. The Dodge Brothers merge with Chrysler Corporation in July. That month, the Plymouth model appears. The De Soto follows in August. (August) The Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact is signed in Paris by 65 nations, including the U.S. The Chrysler Corporation unveils plan for its new headquarters, the Chrysler Building. (October) Germany’s Graf Zeppelin dirigible arrives at Lakehurst, N.J. Albert Szent-Gyorgi discovers vitamin C. Rickards and A.H. Refell build the first working robot (United Kingdom).

Hans Geiger and Walther Muller make first feasible Geiger counter to measure radiation. Geiger had invented the original device in 1912. Professor George Edward Challenger invents a drilling machine and drills into the Earth in order to prove his theory that it is a living being. Unsubstantiated claims are made that his machine is destroyed by some kind of creature, contradicting the claims of previous deep geological explorers.

1929 Professor Challenger and Edward Malone meet with Professor Theodore Nemor who has built a machine that disintegrates and reintegrates objects and people. Nemor is never seen again and the device is seized by the Invisible College just prior to agents from MI-7 arriving on the scene. Admiral Byrd conducts expeditions to both poles. He and his pilot Bernt Balchen are the first to fly over the South Pole

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Construction on the Empire State Building begins. St. Valentine’s Day Massacre gangland hit, ordered by Al Capone against North Side boss Bugs Moran, leaves 7 bullet-riddled corpses on the floor of a North Chicago garage. Moran was not one of them New York Stock Exchange sets records throughout the year, despite several sharp corrections and recoveries. On October 24, trading volume reaches a record 12,894,650 as stocks dive. Charles E. Mitchell, Albert H. Wiggin (Chase National Bank), William Potter (Guaranty Trust Company) and Seward Prosser (Bankers Trust Company) meet with Thomas W. Lamont of J.P. Morgan on Wall Street and agree to invest $40 million each to ‘shore up the stock market.’ Five days later, the market collapses Charles Lindbergh starts Central American air-mail service. First color television is demonstrated in the US and England. Electroencephalograph invented by Hans Berger in Germany.

1930 Dr Sir John Hamish Watson, former colleague of Sherlock Holmes, retires from practice at the age of 71 after the death of his second wife. He moves to a villa on the coast of California, north of San Francisco, in order to be close to his remaining family. (February) The ninth planet is discovered by Clyde Tombaugh after its existence is predicted by Percival Lowell. Tombaugh spots the planet on 2/18 but holds announcement until 3/13 (Lowell’s birthday) and names it Pluto based on Lowell’s initials. 91

Pulp Fantastic By the end of the year, millions are unemployed. Apple sellers fill New York City street corners. Chrysler Building is completed and becomes the tallest building in the world. Manhattan’s 800-foot, 68-story, art deco Colossus. It will soon be relegated to second-tallest by the Empire State Building.

Gangster Al Capone is jailed for tax evasion.

Boston bans all works by Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky.

Amelia Earhart establishes the Pitcairn autogiro world’s altitude record at 18,451 feet.

France begins building Maginot Line.

After severe monsoon rains, the Yangtze River in China floods; dikes and dams break, inundating over 35,000 square miles and leaving 40,000,000 homeless.

Constantinople renamed Istanbul. Turksib Railroad connecting Turkestan and Siberia opens. Austria and Italy sign friendship treaty. Britain, France, Italy, Japan and U.S. sign naval disarmament treaty. U.S. Marines are stationed in Haiti and Nicaragua to assist the local authorities and preserve U.S. interests. Amy Johnson becomes the first woman to fly solo between England and Australia. She makes the trip in 19.5 days. (April) Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow set a transcontinental speed record from Los Angeles to New York, 14 hours, 45 minutes.

GAZETEER

(October) The British airship R101 crashes near Beauvais, France while en route to India. Forty-six passengers and crew burn to death. Rumors surround the crash of the R101. One has it that it was carrying a newly discovered Tesla device. Its whereabouts, if it existed, are unknown and is presumed to have been destroyed in the fire. A second, less wide-spread rumor, is that the craft was engaged in secret diplomatic work with an extraterrestrial visitor. Little evidence is found to support either story.

1931 The Star Spangled Banner becomes U.S. anthem. Words by Francis Scott Key, music from Anacreon in Heaven. President Herbert Hoover suggests a one-year moratorium for reparations and war debts. (July) German banks close until August 5 following failure of Danatbank. German millionaire Hugenberg finances 800,000-member Nazi party; Kirdof, Thyssen and Schroder follow suit.

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Reports that completion of the Empire State Building is delayed by sightings of strange robotic machines and pig-like humanoid creatures in and around the building remain unsupported.

Karl Jansky, an American Engineer, detects anomalous signals while conducting experiments on radio wavelength interference. These are the same signals detected by Tesla 5 years earlier.

1932 (January) 70,000 Japanese troops storm Shanghai and drive out the Chinese 19th Route Army; Japan establishes a puppet empire, Manchukuo, under Emperor Pu-yi, in Manchuria in February; an agreement between China and Japan sets up a demilitarized zone and ends the boycott against Japanese goods. U.S. unemployment reaches 13.7 million; worldwide unemployment is approximately 30 million. (May) The SS Venture returns to New York from Skull Island with a living specimen of a unknown species of ape, larger than any previously recorded. At the first public exhibition of the creature it breaks free, causing chaos before it dies in a fall from the top of the Empire State Building. The body is immediately confiscated by Division 4, along with all charts and documentary evidence showing the location of Skull Island. Charles Lindbergh’s baby is kidnapped from his home on March 1. The kidnapper sends a ransom note and the $50,000 ransom is paid. The baby is not returned. During the Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, a secret arm of the Nazi party attempts to disrupt the games by killing athletes. They are thwarted by agents of Division 4.

Mukden Incident in September begins Japanese occupation of Manchuria. China boycotts Japanese goods (China is Japan’s principal market).

Stimson Doctrine (Secretary of State Henry Stimson) protests Japanese presence in Manchuria. The U.S. announces it will not recognize gains made through armed aggression.

Gandhi ends second civil disobedience campaign with signing of Delhi Pact. Britain releases non-violent political prisoners.

Austrian-born Adolf Hitler receives German citizenship. Franklin D. Roosevelt wins the U.S. presidential election in an electoral landslide over Herbert Hoover, 472 to 59.

Empire State Building completed.

Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic Ocean on May 20 -- the first woman to do so. Newfoundland to Londonderry in 13.5 hours.

The Pulp Years

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Pulp Fantastic

1933 Unemployment in the U.S. reaches 17 million. 547 films are produced in the U.S. The first rock paintings by the Sahara Desert’s prehistoric inhabitants are found at Tassili. Albert Einstein settles in U.S. at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton, N.J. Chicago World’s Fair; A Century of Progress International Exposition. (February) An attempted assassination of President-elect Roosevelt by Giuseppe Zangara (March) Franklin Delano Roosevelt becomes 32nd president at age 51. He begins the “New Deal” economic plan starting with a “bank holiday” closing all United States banks for a week. (March) The movie “King Kong” is released. The movie is based on events taking place in New York the previous year. Despite protests from the families of some of the dead, the movie is a major success. Many are convinced that the events of the previous year were a publicity stunt that went badly wrong.

GAZETEER

(April) America abandons the gold standard. (May) Thomas Carnacki investigates an apparent haunting in the vault of a central London bank. He is sealed in the vault overnight inside his electric pentacle. When the vault is opened in the morning it is empty. Carnacki is never seen again.

(December) Prohibition repealed at 5:32 p.m. EST on December 5. Journalist H.L. Mencken (working for the Baltimore Sun) reputedly drinks the first legal beer and proclaims it “good.” U.S. Congress votes for independence of the Philippines. Reichstag (Parliament Building) fire in Berlin; Adolf Hitler named Chancellor of Germany by President Hindenburg and gets dictatorial powers. Germany withdraws from the League of Nations. U.S. Marines are withdrawn from Nicaragua. Wiley Post (who is blind in one eye) lands his Lockheed Vega, the Winnie Mae, in New York after circumnavigating the globe in 7 days, 19 hours. Admiral Byrd begins his second Antarctic expedition. Byrd locates Captain Nemo’s hidden Antarctic Base. Byrd is debriefed by his superiors in Division 4 and upon his return to the United States and all records of his discovery are seized.

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A British airplane flies over Mt. Everest. (February) Malcolm Campbell sets a land speed record of 273 mph in the 2,450 horsepower Bluebird. (April) Dirigible Akron crashes into the Pacific Ocean near midnight; only 4 of 77 aboard are saved. The United States repeals prohibition with the passage of the 21st amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Secret World Treaty of 1933 is signed by the nations of the world, giving the Air Cavalry the offical role of “Protectors of the Skies” by World decree. Their role is often downplayed, passed off to the public as one of entertainment.

1934 Worldwide scheduled air service routes total 223,100 miles. Over 100 million miles are actually flown during the year. S.S. Queen Mary and France’s S.S. Normandie (the largest ship of its time) are launched. (May) Texas outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are killed in Louisiana after an epic investigation by famed Texas peace officer Frank Hamer. Bruno Hauptmann is arrested for the Lindbergh baby kidnapping on September 20. On July 21, John Dillinger is ambushed outside a movie theater and shot to death at age 32. Heinrich Himmler becomes chief of Reich Police with Reinhard Heydrich in charge of the Gestapo. “Night of the Long Knives.” On June 30, Hitler cleans out his ranks by having dissidents and troublemakers assassinated during the night. (August) German president von Hindenburg dies at 88. Adolf Hitler becomes president. Japan renounces the naval limitation treaties of 1922 and 1930. Mao Tse-tung and 90,000 followers embark on a Long March of 8,000 miles. Charles William Beebe descends 3,028 feet into the ocean off Bermuda. First practical test of radar is conducted by the German Navy.

1935 The U.S. Congress passes a Neutrality Act prohibiting transportation of weapons to warring countries. Huey Long, senator, former governor and major national rival to FDR, barely survives an attempted assassination by Dr. Carl Weiss in the Louisiana Capitol Building. Huey Long then goes underground.

The Pulp Years (February) Bruno Hauptmann is convicted of Lindbergh kidnapping and murder. Germany defies the Versailles treaty and reinstates compulsory military service. Russia signs treaties with the U.S., France, Czechoslovakia and Turkey. Charles F. Richter develops a scale for measuring earthquakes. A Pan American Clipper (a 19-ton flying boat) flies from San Francisco to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 18 hours 39 minutes, making it the first transpacific transport plane.

1936 (January) King George V of England dies, Edward VIII becomes King. (November) King Edward VIII of England abdicates to marry an American divorcee, Wallis Warfield Simpson. Following his abdication of the throne, rumors abound that he is a secret Nazi sympathizer. The reality is much worse. (November) President Roosevelt is re-elected in landslide over Alfred M. Landon The Spanish Civil War begins with an army revolt in Morocco German troops occupy the demilitarized Rhineland Mussolini and Hitler form the Rome/Berlin Axis. Anti-Comintern Pact signed by Germany and Japan. Leon Trotsky, Stalin’s greatest rival for international communist leadership, settles in Mexico. Floods sweep Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The dirigible Hindenburg makes her maiden voyage across the Atlantic on May 9. J.A. Mollison flies from Newfoundland to London in 13 hours, 17 minutes. Mrs. Amy Mollison (formerly Johnson) flies from Britain to Cape Town in 3 days, 6 hours, 25 minutes. Jean Batten flies solo from Britain to New Zealand in 11 days, 56minutes. Lockheed Aircraft Corporation builds the first pressurized cabin airplane. (August) An agent of Division 4, locates and captures what is believed to be the Ark of the Covenant from Nazi agents in the deserts of Egypt. The device is stored in Division 4’s Warehouse 51 for study.

1937 Over 500,000 people in the U.S. are involved in sit-down strikes (from 9/36 to 5/37). The Lincoln Tunnel becomes the second major vehicular tunnel between New York and New Jersey. The Golden Gate Bridge opens. Insulin is used to control diabetes. Wallace H. Carothers patents nylon for du Pont. Literature: Ernest Hemingway’s To Have and Have Not; George Orwell’s The Road to Wigan Pier; John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men; J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. London’s Daily Telegraph and Morning Post merge. Popular Music: Bei Mir Bist Du Schon, The Lady Is a Tramp, A Foggy Day in London Town, Whistle While You Work, It’s Nice Work If You Can Get It, I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm.

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Babes in Arms, a Rodgers and Hart musical comedy, opens in New York. Films: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (a Walt Disney feature-length cartoon), Camille (starring Greta Garbo), and the Academy Award winner Life of Emile Zola (starring Paul Muni). Joe Louis wins the heavyweight title, defeating James J. Braddock in the eighth round (Chicago, June 22). New York Yankees (A.L.) beat New York Giants (N.L.) in the World Series, 4 to 1. “War Admiral” wins the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont. U.S. Tennis team wins the Davis Cup from Britain. The first shipment of gold arrives at the National Bullion Depository, Fort Knox, Kentucky in mid-January. The Hindenburg goes down in a massive fireball on May 6. All-India Congress Party wins in the Indian elections. Aden becomes a British Crown Colony. President Roosevelt signs the U.S. Neutrality Act. Following an incident at the Marco Polo Bridge near Peiping (Peking), Japan launches an undeclared war on China. Japanese atrocities outrage world opinion (July 7). Japanese planes sink the U.S. gunboat Panay on the Yangtze River (December 12). Japanese seize Peking, Tientsin, Shanghai, Nanking and Hangchow. Italy withdraws from the League of Nations and joins the Anti-Comintern Pact. Guernica, the “Holy City” in Spain’s Basque region, is bombed by German planes allied to the Spanish Nationalists. 95

Pulp Fantastic The Kuomintang (Nationalists) under Chiang Kai-shek unite with Communists led by Mao Tse-tung to fight Japan. President Roosevelt dedicates Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River in Oregon. S.S. Normandie crosses Atlantic Ocean in 3 days, 23 hours, 2 minutes. Amelia Earhart and co-pilot Frederick Noonan are lost over the Pacific Ocean in their Lockheed Electra. Scores of search vessels fail to turn up the slightest trace (7/2).

1939

1938

The World’s Fair opens in New York City on April 30, drawing record crowds.

40-hour work week established in the U.S.

Nylon stockings are first offered for sale.

Lambeth Walk becomes the fashionable dance.

Literature: Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf in English; James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake; John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath; T.S. Eliot’s The Family Reunion; C.S. Forester’s Captain Horatio Hornblower.

Literature: Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca; William Faulkner’s The Unvanquished; Ernest Hemingway’s The Fifth Column; Sinclair Lewis’ The Prodigal Parents. Pearl S. Buck wins the Nobel Prize for Literature. Popular Music: Flat Foot Floogie with a Floy Floy, September Song, Jeepers Creepers, You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby, A Tisket, A Tasket. Films: Pygmalion (starring Leslie Howard), The Lady Vanishes (directed by Alfred Hitchcock), Bank Holiday (Carol Reed), and the Academy Award winner You Can’t Take It With You.

GAZETEER

U.S. Tennis Team defeats Australia to retain the Davis Cup. New York Yankees defeat Chicago Cubs 4 to 0 in the World Series. Howard Hughes circumnavigates the globe by airplane in 3 days, 19 hours. (October) On Halloween, Orson Welles broadcasts the Mercury Theatre on the Air’s adaptation of The War of the Worlds, causing nationwide panic. Welles is coerced into making the broadcast by Division 4, as part of a cover-up after a second Martian expeditionary force lands near the town of Grover’s Mill, New Jersey. The invasion is swiftly halted by Division 4. Despite several casualties and substantial property damage, the cover-up is successful and almost brings Welles’ career to a halt.

Pulp magazine The Avenger (issue #1) is released in September. Popular Music: God Bless America, Three Little Fishes, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Beer Barrel Polka, I’ll Never Smile Again. Films: The Wizard of Oz (in color; starring Judy Garland), Ninotchka (starring Greta Garbo), Pinocchio (a Walt Disney Feature-length cartoon), Good-Bye, Mr. Chips (starring Robert Donat) and Academy Award winner Gone With The Wind (starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh). First televised baseball. New York Yankees shut out Cincinnati Reds 4 to 0 in the World Series. President Roosevelt asks $552 million for the defense budget. The Spanish Civil War ends; Francisco Franco rules Spain as Caudillo (3/28). Spain joins the Anti-Comintern Pact and leaves the League of Nations. Japan occupies Hainan and blockades the British concession at Tientsin.

Japan installs a puppet government in Nanking (3/28), takes Canton, Tsiangtao and Hankow.

Germany occupies Bohemia and Moravia, places Slovakia under “protection,” annexes Memel and renounces most military agreements. On 9/1 Germany invades Poland and annexes Danzig. On 10/5 the last organized Polish resistance ends.

Germany seizes Austria (3/12-13) and Czechoslovakia (10/3).

France and England declare war on Germany on September 3.

President Roosevelt sends Hitler and Mussolini a plea to settle European difficulties amicably.

A British Expeditionary Force is sent to France.

Chinese troops divert the Yellow River to halt the Japanese invasion. The resulting flood covers 20,000 square miles and kills hundreds of thousands.

Russia invades Finland (11/30) and is expelled from the League of Nations.

A hurricane strikes New England, killing 700 and doing millions of dollars worth of damage (9/21). 96

Professor Challenger dies at the age of 71, peacefully in his sleep. Shortly afterward, Enid Challenger, her husband Edward Malone and Lord John Roxton found the George Edward Challenger Centre for Exploration, Innovation and Research, more commonly referred to simply as the Challenger Centre. The Centre’s annual Challenger Award for Scientific Reason becomes one of the most hotly sought after prizes in the science community.

Russia invades Poland in alliance with Germany (9/17).

The United States announces neutrality on September 5, but orders from European countries for war supplies make a vast improvement in U.S. economy.

The Pulp Years Radar is used in Britain to detect enemy aircraft; balloons are used to protect against air attack. Pan-American Airways begins regularly scheduled flights between the U.S. and Europe on the Dixie Clipper. First flight (from Long Island to Portugal) takes 20 hours, 16 minutes (5/20). Pan-American Airways’ California Clipper lands at Auckland, New Zealand, completing the first flight of a regularly scheduled fortnightly service from San Francisco, California (8/30) The Heinkel He-178 makes the first jet-powered flight (8/24) Chilean earthquake devastates 50,000 square miles and kills estimated 30,000 (1/24). Severe earthquakes in Northern Turkey destroy city of Erzingan and kill 100,000 (12/27). Sir John Hamish Watson begins a second career as a radio broadcaster in America. He introduces a long-running series of radio adaptations of his adventures with Sherlock Holmes, with Holmes played by Basil Rathbone and the younger Watson played by close friend Nigel Bruce. The introductions to each series are recorded in Sir John’s California home, and feature frequent interruptions from his two dogs. Watson uses this public platform to campaign for War Bonds and against the evils of racism and fascism. Rathbone eventually gives up the role of Holmes in 1946 when Sir John dies from natural causes at the age of 87, and the role is taken over by sound-alike actor and friend, Tom Conway.

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Chapter 5 Organizations & Secret Societies

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rganizations are important to any setting, but most of those in the pulp fantastic campaign are secret and hidden. They are active, and player characters are typically members of one of these organizations and will do what they can in the best interest of the organization.

From the dawn of the fantastic there has been a war raging outside the view of humanity. This so-called “Secret War” is a symbol of the way humanity is viewed. Sides determined to release the new found knowledge into the world, versus those who are determined to hide it, believing that the human race is not yet ready and there are things out there that “man was not yet meant to know.” Across the centuries there have been wheels within wheels, secret deals, and behind closed door meetings that have resulted in the turmoil and conflict over last few centuries. Intellectual powers in conflict with each other have had their differences moved into the greater world and in so doing caused great strife across the planet. There is a secret war that rages across the class lines, national borders and even philosophy. There is a secret war that has spilled out into open warfare that has taken the world by storm and destroyed nations as well as families. The records are unclear, but sometime in the 15th or 16th century a group of learned men got together to form a secret society dedicated to controlling the world with political and economic force to ensure the safety and well being of the human species. A worthy and noble goal, which led to tragic consequences. As the years then decades passed this nameless secret society worked to influence kings and princes as well as captains of industry with varied results based on who was doing the manipulation and how well their advice was received. However this unknown group amassed great wealth for themselves along the way. As the years passed these secret masters, as they thought of themselves, split off and each had their own nation or region of the world to guide as they saw fit. With this splintering of their core, they naturally came into more and more conflict as each sought to guide their part of the known world in a direction which they thought was best. This led to a rise in the struggles between nations as each master worked with a different methodology as well as

competing aims came into greater and greater conflict. This competition ranged from political attacks to discredit opponents, to duels between proxies or actual masters, to outright assassinations and religious denouncements. These led to instabilities in the world and politics as each master would struggle against one and another. As centuries pass, the secret masters would name successors and groom them to take over when their time would come. Naturally drift in ideology and methodology came about, and when a master would have multiple heirs or would die too soon, internal wars would take over, leading to several revolutions in nations, such as the Protestant Reformation and the American as well as French Civil Wars. As time passed, the secret masters of the world worked with or against each other, these efforts gave rise to wars in the 18th and 19th centuries such as the Franco-Prussian War and with the assassination of the Secret Master of Eastern Europe which led to the start of the First World War. With the advent of advanced technologies as well as the heroes of the modern age, these secret masters would recruit those bravos and adventurers to fuel or fulfill their goals and aims, often through intermediaries or by posing as wealthy philanthropists funding these men of mystery or stalwart adventurers. This then is the secret history of the world, a war that is being waged behind the scenes and now waged in distant jungles or crime ridden streets by the pulp heroes of the day.

Division 4 In early October 1901, President William McKinley signed the executive order creating Division 4. This was done about a month prior to his assassination at the hands of Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist. Division 4 has one primary goal, to gather alien and secret technology and store them for the United States government to study and duplicate. They are responsible for gaining technology from many different places, including a piece of a Martian Tripod from the 1901 invasion, which happens right after their inception. Division 4 is under the direct command of the President of the United States, and they are quite often mistaken for

Pulp Fantastic Secret Service agents, and quite often use that for cover, a notable amount of Secret Service agents were doing the job of Division 4 prior to its inception. The President issues all orders directly, but depending on the President they are often left to their own devices. Division 4 agents have been used in everything from stealing of tech developed by enemy nations to recovering “lost tech” from all over the globe.

his notes on the creation of the Philosopher’s Stone. Some claim that the Order was able to complete the work that Newton was not able to finish, creating a Philosopher’s Stone and ensuring the Order’s means of wealth. Turning base metals into gold meant that the order was not dependant on the generosity of their members, and meant that they could pursue even the most obscure and costly of rituals in their quest for knowledge.

French Foreign Legion

The Invisible College

The French Foreign Legion was a unique military unit set up in 1831 by the French government to allow foreign nationalist to enlist in the French military. The Great War saw the legion in many critical battles in 1917, and suffered heavy casualties in 1918.

The Invisible College was born out of a dream…and a nightmare.

Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

GAZETEER

The Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn, later renamed the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, is one of the largest and most influential organizations of western occultism. Though relatively new, this organization has greatly expanded in both membership and power, and some claim it has an impact on both the political and industrial fronts that is without compare. In 1886 Rev. A.F.A. Woodford was given a document called the Cipher Manuscript. The Manuscript, written in English but encoded, did not interest the Reverend, so he passed it on to his friend Dr. William Wynn Westcott. Dr. Westcott managed to decode the Cipher Manuscript, discovering it to be a detailed outline of the Grade Rituals of the Order, and prescribed a curriculum of specifically graduated teachings that encompass the Hermetic Qabalah, Astrology, Tarot, Geomancy, and Alchemy. Dr. Westcott brought in his fellow Freemason Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers to confirm his deciphering of the manuscript and to assist in turning the writings into a usable set of rules for a new lodge order. Mathers asked a third Freemason, Dr. William Robert Woodman, to assist in this endeavor, and the core of the Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn was formed. In 1887 the trio officially opened the Order to others, and soon a great many Initiates were learning the esoteric arts. As the number of initiates grew, the influence of the Order also grew. The teachings outlined in the Cipher Manuscript were quite detailed, and those who followed the course of study soon found their astrological readings were quite specific, and quite accurate. In 1891, new initiate Arthur Edward Waite began extensive teachings in the use of the Tarot, consolidating the knowledge scattered through the ages on their use and meaning. Other young initiates, like Edward Alexander Crowley in 1897, showed a great deal of talent in Alchemy and the Qabalah. In 1890 it is rumored that the Order managed to acquire the secret writings of Sir Isaac Newton, which contained 100

Mary Shelley, wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley and author of the gothic novel Frankenstein, found inspiration during her stay in Switzerland. In the summer of 1816, she accompanied Byron and Shelley during their travels. The legend created by Byron and the Shelleys is that one night, when a storm was raging over the lake, Mary Shelley and her husband spent the night at Lord Byron’s. Byron challenged them to think up ghost stories, but Mary Shelley wrote nothing. Then, the night before Byron and Shelley’s boat trip on Lake Geneva, Mary Shelley had a nightmare. That nightmare wasn’t what would become a popular book that would have a life longer than the original author herself. No, her nightmares would be of humanity destroying itself with sciences that it did not understand advances that it had neither the ethics nor morality to use as they were intended to be used, or to ignore those things that were not meant for mankind. From this weekend in Switzerland came a seed that would bloom into the Invisible College. Percy Shelley would begin to formulate some of the theories of this organization in his 1819 essay In Defense of Poetry: “Poets are the hierophants of an unapprehended inspiration; the mirrors of the gigantic shadows which futurity casts upon the present; the words which express what they understand not; the trumpets which sing to battle, and feel not what they inspire; the influence which is moved not, but moves. Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.” It was a feeling that only the artistic could save the world, and save humanity from itself. In this period between 1816 and 1819, the guiding lights behind the Invisible College began refining their processes. One of their primary methods is to make actual events look fictional or so sensational that people would not believe that the events could have possibly occurred. Hiding things in plain sight is the best tool of the Invisible College. It was Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein that tested this technique for the first time. It is not coincidental that the period of the ascendancy of the Invisible College is parallel to the periods of the increase of the popularity of Spiritualism and of the general interest in the fantastic in literature. These were all tools encouraged by the Invisible College in order to create an environment of belief in the unknown and strange, but only amongst those who would be easy enough to discredit or mock. This created the fertile ground into which the

Organizations & Secret Societies membership of the Invisible College could place ideas so that they could be more easily disbelieved by the majority of “right thinking” individuals in the world. These methods also make it easy for a small, yet incredibly dedicated group of individuals to be able to mold and form public opinions on what is rational and what is irrational, what can and what cannot be believed as true and proper. These methods have also had far-reaching repercussions in the realms of politics and marketing, and have had an incredible impact on the world as a whole. It is always important to remember that the Invisible College has never had a large membership. While the founders felt that artists and writers of all stripes were the best suited to invisibly guide the world, they also knew that those very people were very often the ones who could be the least trusted. This is, in part, what has lead to the existence of the Invisible College information being revealed at all – the pettiness of individuals, particularly those of an artistic nature, often leads to secret information being released. This can also lead to rival organizations, fighting against the Invisible College…or some even claiming to be the Invisible College! Just because players are fighting against the Invisible College, or think that they are members of it, it does not mean that they actually are doing what they think that they are doing. This is a problem in a world where there are too many secrets. It is so much harder to get at the real truths of things, if that is what you desire to do. This goes to demonstrate that there is no central dogma to the Invisible College. As it has adapted, evolved, changed and grown with each successive set of leaders, so too does each individual cell (called Universities by the organization) make its own rules and interpret the ideology of the organization according to its own goals and plans. Often, people working towards the goals of a University, or of its leadership, will not realize that those goals do not completely match up with what the College itself is “teaching” to its membership. All of this is intended to give a gm the maximum flexibility with using the Invisible College in their games. There is no one official Invisible College.

Knights of the Round Table The year 1837 saw not only the coronation of Queen Victoria, but also the foundation of the Most Holy and Restored Order of the Knights of the Round Table. Joshua GriffythJones, a prominent New York banker and amateur historian, began the fraternal organization because of his family’s fascination with the original knightly order. Family tradition holds that the Griffyth-Jones family are direct descendants of Sir Girflet, one of the last of the original Knights of the Round Table. Sir Girflet fought alongside King Arthur in the great final battle against Mordred. When Arthur fell, it was Sir Girflet who was there to fulfill Arthur’s last wish. Arthur commanded Girflet to cast Excalibur into a nearby lake. When he did so, a hand rose up from the lake, caught the sword, and sank below the water. Sir Girflet alone knew the secret of the lake. Feeling as if he were the last defender of Camelot, Sir Girflet vowed that he would maintain the honor, the integrity, and the true goals of the Order of the Round Table. He swore that one day, when the world was in need, his descendants would restore the order and prepare the way for the Arthur, the King Eternal. Over the centuries the descendants of Sir Girflet is said to have kept this vow, though no records of his family seem to exist anywhere.

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Joshua Griffyth-Jones was born in Hempstead Harbor, New York in 1805, the son of David Michael Griffyth-Jones, a trader in gold and silver. Joshua grew up hearing stories from his father about chivalry, knights in shining armor, honor, fighting for the forces of good, and always, the story of the death of King Arthur. The Knights of the Round Table were a constant fascination to young Joshua, and he promised himself that he would become a Knight of the Round Table when he got older. 

The role of the Invisible College in pulp fantastic can be varied. However, the basic role of the organization will fall into one of two distinct categories; the rest is just further detail. The Invisible College is either the heroes or the villains of the overall story. In addition to the role of the Invisible College, the gm and the players would probably need to determine whether or not the player characters are employed by, or are acting against, the Invisible College. These two do not have to impact each other in the way that players would think though. The Invisible College can be a force for good in the world of the campaign, and the characters could still be working to actively bring them down (either to free the secrets that they have or because of the fact that the characters are misinformed about their goals and nature).

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Pulp Fantastic As he grew up, Joshua remembered the stories and the rules of chivalry, honor, and loyalty his father had spun when he was a child. These rules guided him as he attended Yale University, and continued to guide him as he made his way through the intricate and cutthroat world of financial banking. To the surprise of many, his personal code of conduct was quite successful, and Joshua GriffythJones soon became a name to be reckoned with in the financial world.

GAZETEER

Griffyth-Jones conducted constant searches about the original Knights of the Round Table, searching for new information about the knights and their descendants. He felt sure that other descendants of the Knights could be found among the upper classes of New York society, and so in 1835 he began his own personal quest. In short order a dozen members of the local aristocracy presented their pedigree as knightly families, and the core of the new order was formed. In August of 1837, Griffyth-Jones gathered the gentlemen at his summer house in Montauk, on the tip of Long Island, and proposed the re-founding of the Knights of the Round Table. Headquartered in offices above Griffyth-Jones’s main Manhattan bank, the chosen men of power in New York took on a most daunting task. The new Knights swore an oath to Griffyth-Jones, who claimed the title of Steward of the Order, to defend the code of chivalry, to right wrongs, to not seek glory in their duties, and above all, to restore honor and prepare for the coming of King Arthur and the recreation of his realm in America. The Knights worked both openly in charitable causes and more actively in clandestine tasks. The Knights and their Squires -- trusted associates who cannot trace their lines to the original knights -- strive to bring honesty to the business world, true justice to the legal trade, and fair practices to the factories. The altruistic goals of the Knights of the Round Table held strong until the death of their Steward in 1877. Rhys Griffyth-Jones, the eldest son of Joshua, assumed the role of Steward upon his father’s death. Rhys believed strongly in the stories of the original Knights of the Round Table his father told him. He felt that the Restored Order needed reminders of the original Knights, what they stood for, and what were their sources of power. His obsessions became the objectives of the Knights. That is when their most clandestine of tasks became The Quest. The ultimate goal of The Quest is nothing short of recovering artifacts of the original order. The greatest honor for the knights is to be sent on a Quest mission, to look for one of the ancient relics. The scabbard of Excalibur, the Holy Grail, the Staff of Merlin, and Sir Gawain’s Armor are just a few of the relics sought by the Knights of the Round Table. Because the Steward believes that the relics can only belong to true descendants of the original Knights, and because the members of the Order can prove their claims of heredity, Rhys Griffyth-Jones feels that no action taken to recover them can violate their Code of Conduct. This has led some members of the order to take actions which could be considered to be morally questionable. 102

Have the Knights found any of them? Are the relics genuine or clever forgeries? Only the Steward of the Round Table knows for sure. The Most Holy and Restored Order of the Knights of the Round Table can take many different paths in your pulp fantastic campaigns. They could truly be descendants of the original order. They could be a group founded on good meaning, but false assumptions. They could be knowingly founded on false pretense. Are they truly a force for good and the last bastion of chivalry? Are they a once proud, but now corrupted fraternal organization? These are just a few of the questions a Gamemaster will want to ask himself about this group.

MI7 Ask anyone working in Her Majesty’s government about MI7 and you will likely get blank stares. Ask too many questions about MI7 and you might find yourself being questioned by members of MI7. Created by secret order of Queen Victoria in 1850, the Secret Intelligence Bureau is under the exclusive purview of the Prime Minister. The Bureau is divided into seven sections called Minister’s Intelligence Departments 1 through 7. Each department is responsible for a specific type of information or for a different region of the world. Because of the politically sensitive nature of the Bureau, and the extraterritorial activities necessary to obtain its information, the very existence of the Bureau is a secret. Only Her Majesty, The Queen, and the Prime Minister know of the existence of these departments. Each of the first six departments is charged with reporting information on a particular region of the world. MI7 is unique, having a broader scope. They are the troubleshooters, the ones who work on problems all across the globe. They also make sure that the Secret Intelligence Bureau remains secret. What is the mission of MI7? They find the unfindable. They discover the reason behind the unreasonable. Everything MI7 is involved in has some curious or unusual fact or twist of logic behind it. Of course, what the public knows about it and what the truth of the matter is can be two very different things. More often than not, the reason behind those differences is MI7. The original founder of MI7 was the quiet yet brilliant Mycroft Holmes, elder brother of the noted detective. It is the Department Head who reports directly to the Prime Minister. Officially Mycroft was the only member of MI7, selected because of his excellent deductive skills, said to exceed those of his brother, and because of his discrete handling of information sensitive to the Crown while working with his brother on the Queen’s behalf. The fact that he never seemed to leave the Diogenes Club while working on that particular case was truly amazing. Unofficially Holmes maintained a network of highly capable and experienced agents. The death of the Queen and the Martian attack on England

Organizations & Secret Societies left their marks on MI7. The destruction of many buildings in and around London meant that most of the resources and archives of MI7 were destroyed as well. Director Holmes assembled a team to rebuild MI7, picking up the pieces of a shattered organization. Prime Minister Balfour, unlike his predecessors, did not find the Director to be agreeable, or useful. The PM stymied the Director at every turn, thinking the department was not necessary. The PM found the “stories” of the exploits of MI7 fanciful and unbelievable. After two years of reduced funding, rescheduled or canceled meetings, and constant stonewalling, the situation came to a head. To the surprise of those who knew the situation, in March of 1904 Mycroft Holmes retired as the Director of MI7. After 54 years, MI7 would be under the guiding hand of someone other then its founder. Prime Minister Balfour had different plans. Instead of appointing a new Director, he left the position vacant and suspended funding. For all intents and purposes, the department was dissolved. When Henry Campbell-Bannerman became PM in 1905 he began a thorough review of the archives of No. 10 to see what the Conservative PMs had been doing for the last twenty years. The Archives Panel discovered references to a strange department of the Ministry of Intelligence that ended abruptly the year before. While no information could be found on the activities of the department, one name came up time and time again: Mycroft Holmes. Meeting with the aging Holmes at the Diogenes Club, the PM learned of the purpose of MI7 and of its shutdown. Determined to restore the department to its intended purpose, the PM asked Holmes to return as its Director. Holmes refused, citing age and a desire to avoid further adventure in his life. He suggested one of his former junior aides, Edwin Masterson-Smythe. Masterson-Smythe reformed MI7, building upon the foundation of Mycroft Holmes’s work. Some of the former agents of MI7 were found and recruited to join the new organization, but most of the agency consisted of new agents. The secretive nature of MI7 makes the organization an excellent resource for the pulp fantastic gm. Is the Department a source of good information or a fountain of propaganda? Does the Department work with the Player Characters or against them? MI7 can also form a base from which Player Characters can launch their adventures. The choice is up to the Gamemaster.

The Air Cavalry Baron Ace Franklin was born too late to fight in the Great War but the sky was in his blood. His father was a pilot of the Great War, an ace with thirty-eight German kills under his silk scarf. Raised in a traveling barnstormer show, Ace lived among planes and pilots from the day he could walk. It was the life he knew, the life he loved, and Ace might have been content to live as a star of the barnstorming circuit but the Tri-State tornado of 1925 changed all that. In its earliest years, the Air Cavalry was a show, famous war battles - including the final battle between the Red

Baron and Captain Roy Brown - were re-enacted for the amusement of paying customers. Some of the pilots also flew mail, or private passengers from city to city in order to help pay for their expensive flying machines. In 1925, the Air Cavalry flew to the rescue for the first time. On March 18th, the great Tri-State tornado to tore through Illinois, Missouri and Indiana, leaving hundreds dead and dozens of towns and cities in ruin. The Air Cavalry took to the skies on a mission of mercy and battled the treachery of the Storm Riders, a group of criminals who followed the path of the tornado to steal and pillage those too weak to defend themselves.

THE CHARTER OF 1933 Charles Lindbergh was not the only one to recognize the value of a free air force independent of national politics and able to work in areas where official presence was forbidden. In the spring of 1933, and after months of work by the Cavalry’s best political minds (and careful work by agents of the Invisible College); the civilized nations of Italy, America, Russia and Great Britain signed a secret charter with the Air Cavalry. Patterned after colonial Letters of Marque, the charter established a protocol for allowing Air Cavalry planes and personnel to cross the airspace of the participating countries, to make use of certain military airbases and to act - in certain ways - almost as an independent country. In turn, Baron Ace Franklin swore that his people would never attack any of the participating members, would follow the honorable customs of warfare and would come to the aid of embattled nations and peoples the world over. It was an ambitious promise but the Air Cavalry remains steadfast in its dedication to these ideals.

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The Charter was the final piece needed to bring the Air Cavalry into the world as a force for good.

Pinkerton Detective Agency The world of Private Eyes begins with the legendary Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Their logo, with its big central eye and the motto “We Never Sleep”, spawned the nickname Private Eye, and the image of the tough guy determined to solve a case. In 1850, Allan Pinkerton and Chicago attorney Edward Rucker formed the North-Western Police Agency, later to be known as Pinkerton National Detective Agency. Pinkerton became famous in February 1861, when he foiled an assassination plot in Baltimore, Maryland, of President-Elect Abraham Lincoln. His efforts in this case impressed Lincoln so much that Lincoln hired Pinkerton to provide his security during the American Civil War as well as performing as head of the Union Intelligence Service during the first years of the war. Pinkerton’s investigative techniques, created during his days in the North-Western Police Agency and refined over the years, were an innovation that lead the Pinkertons to be the most well known 103

Pulp Fantastic specialists in criminal investigations and undercover operations. The Pinkerton National Detective Agency became a unit to be feared.

sition in 1893. Vandercamp’s company became experts in the esoteric investigation field, making him a wealthy man and a well-known socialite in Chicago.

After the end of the American Civil War, Pinkerton’s offices opened all across the United States. Their services were used to track down outlaws such as Jesse James, The Wild Bunch, and the Reno Gang. Their services spread far and wide, even assisting Scotland Yard and Sherlock Holmes in a number of cases involving crimes on both continents.

With the acquisition of the Vandercamp Agency, Pinkertons became the preeminent investigative service in the western world. Some of the cases pursued by the Pinkerton Agency include the Patterson possession case in 1922; the New Orleans mafia crackdown of the late 1920s; the Bassett-Sutton bank robbery of 1930; the Lindbergh Baby kidnapping of 1932; and the Thule Society Conspiracy of 1936.

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Starting in the 1870s, the Pinkerton Agency was hired by a number of large companies to investigate efforts to unionize workers. Quite often this led to violent conflicts and a bad reputation for the Agency. Pinkerton Men became associated with “Corporate Thugs” and were known for being union breakers. Pinkerton Agent John McParland managed to infiltrate the militant labor union of coal miners in Pennsylvania known as the Mollie Maguires. The Mollies were a secret Irish organization that worked for labor unionization and were known for stirring up trouble throughout Ireland. McParland, under the name of James McKenna, became a member of the Mollie Maquires in Pennsylvania. Using the knowledge he gain from them, a great many members of the group were arrested, leading to the end of the violent unionist efforts of the Mollie Maguires.

As the 20th Century dawned, the reputation of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency was anything but sterling. Hired by many large companies as union busters, Pinkerton agents were often thought of as little more than thugs, and often that was not far from the truth. This changes in 1907 when Allen Pinkerton II, grandson of the founder, inherited the company. Slowly, over the course of the next three decades, the Pinkerton Agency gradually moved away from union busting. Trying to improve its image, the Agency acquired the C. E. Vandercamp Aetheric Investigations Agency in 1920. Christopher Vandercamp started his business in 1915 in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood. Investigating crimes, missing persons, and other occurrences with a mystical slant, Vandercamp became known for solving cases others thought to be unsolvable. His business grew from a one man, third storey walk-up to a 250 man office in their own building on Stony Island Avenue across from the famous Jackson Park, home of the World’s Fair: Columbian Expo104

The Pinkerton National Detective Agency makes a great resource in any pulp fantastic game taking place in the United States. Players can work for Pinkerton’s as investigative agents, as undercover agents, or even as consultants to Pinkerton’s. The Agency can also be used as an adversary, bringing truth to claims that Pinkerton Agents were violent thugs with a badge of authority.

Scotland Yard In the eighteenth century came the beginnings of immense social and economic changes with the consequent movement of the population of England to towns. The parish constable and “Watch” systems used throughout the country failed completely and the impotence of the law-enforcement machinery was a serious menace. Conditions became intolerable and led to the formation of the “New Police.” In 1829, the Metropolitan Police Act introduced by Sir Robert Peel, was passed by Parliament. This Act replaced the numerous local constables with a single police force that covered Greater London, excluding the City of London, which had its own Police Force. The Marine, or River Police as well as the Bow Street Patrols (both mounted and the “Runners” on foot) were also outside the command of the new London Metropolitan Police. The task of organizing and designing the “New Police” was placed in the hands of Colonel Charles Rowan and Richard Mayne (later Sir Richard Mayne). These two Commissioners occupied a private house at 4 Whitehall Place, the back of which opened on to a courtyard. The back premises of 4 Whitehall Place were used as a police station. This address led to the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police being known as Scotland Yard. By 1890 the Metropolitan Police had taken over all of the buildings surrounding the original private house, as well as many buildings, stables, and storehouses in the surrounding area. Scotland Yard outgrew its origins. Headquarters were moved in 1890 to premises on the Victoria Embankment designed by Richard Norman Shaw and became known as New Scotland Yard. Metropolitan police officers carried firearms only when given special permission by a judge; normally they were only armed with a truncheon. Their jurisdiction was limited to the London Metropolitan area unless requested by outside authorities and given permission by the Home Secretary (the cabinet officer who commands the police). The officers, often called “Bobbies,” after Sir Robert Peel, wore a unique

Organizations & Secret Societies and very sturdy hat. This officer could stand on his hat, allowing him to see over fences quite easily. They were charged with keeping order in public thoroughfares, ensuring that Public Houses follow strict hours and serving laws, fining establishments that conducted bear baiting or cock fighting, and ensuring that people going about their lawful business were not menaced by “general riff-raff and ne’er-do-wells.” The Metropolitan Police Service Criminal Investigation Department, or CID, the first criminal investigation department, was set up in April 1878 by C. E. Howard Vincent. Originally it was only responsible to the Home Secretary, but since 1888 it had been under the authority of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner. CID officers did not wear a uniform, instead they were plainclothes officers. CID officers were involved in the investigation of major crimes such as rape, murder, serious assault, fraud, and any other crimes that require complex detection. They were responsible for acting upon intelligence received and then building a case; from analysis of the initial incident through the arrest and prosecution of any suspects. The success of the men of Scotland Yard did not go unnoticed. Throughout the world, police forces were modeled after the Metropolitan Police. By the end of the 1890s uniformed and organized police forces could be found in nearly every major city. Some of Scotland Yard’s most famous investigators include Inspector George Lestrade, who consulted with Sherlock Holmes on a number of cases; Detective Inspector Frederick Abberline, who headed up the dreadful Whitechapel Murder investigations; Inspector Montgomery Pettiman, who broke the horrific case of Sweeney Todd, but was unable to capture him; and Lady Molly Robertson-Kirk, the first female detective in the Metropolitan Police.

International Criminal Police Organization The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO) is the worldwide, nongovernmental police agency that will in later years become known as Interpol. It is a clearing house for information, furnishing member nations with data on criminals, unidentified bodies, stolen property, etc. Founded in 1923 to reduce international crime, the ICPO deals strictly with international crimes - most revolve around smuggling, narcotics and counterfeiting - but is strictly forbidden to meddle in political crimes such as espionage and terrorism. Original founder countries were France, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Sweden, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Yugoslavia and Switzerland. Great Britain doesn’t join until 1928, and the United States doesn’t join until 1938. Unlike most law-enforcement agencies, ICPO agents do not make arrests themselves, nor do they detain criminals. Instead the agency works as a liaison between the law-enforcement of member countries, helping to co-ordinate

the international response to crime and terrorism. The ICPO helps track criminals and criminal activity around the world.

Red Headed League There are some that will tell you that the Red Headed League is nothing but a story. Others will tell you it was a “League” of two, thwarted by the crime solving duo of Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson. Only a truly rare person can tell the truth about the Red Headed League.  The real Red Headed League was founded in 1875 in Boston, Massachusetts. Patrick Michael Sullivan, David O’Hirllihy, Peter Flynn, and Kevin Muldoon, all of them red headed men, formed the League for what could only be called nefarious reasons. This criminal syndicate, which over the years expanded across the ocean and into Europe, was initially created as an act of revenge. In 1872, Patrick Sullivan, an accountant of modest means at the First Mercantile Bank of Boston, was accused of improprieties in his work and promptly fired as a result. Patrick was an innocent man set up by his superior, David Patterson, to cover up embezzlement and misconduct on his part. After spending a year in search of proof of his innocence, Patrick Sullivan’s efforts proved fruitless. Because he could not prove his innocence, and felt his life was destroyed by the acts of David Patterson, Patrick turned his energies to destroying the life of his tormentor.

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Sullivan recruited his friends O’Hirllihy, Flynn, and Muldoon to help in bringing his revenge upon David Patterson, and so the Red Headed League was born. After quite a lot of discussion and planning, it was decided that Patterson should suffer a similar fate as did Sullivan -- to be found guilty of a crime he did not commit and to not be able to prove his innocence. Over the span of several years, Flynn and Muldoon worked their way into the confidence of David Patterson. Flynn began working as a clerk for Patterson under the name Thomas O’Hara. Muldoon, as Douglas O’Toole, became part of Patterson’s social circle, meeting him at clubs, the theater, and the opera. Douglas O’Toole was soon the close confidant of David Patterson, and they were often seen together about town. With Flynn and Muldoon supplying them with information, Sullivan and O’Hirllihy crafted a subtle plan to destroy David Patterson’s name and his life. In 1786, on the Monday after Easter, it was discovered that the First Mercantile Bank of Boston had been robbed over the weekend. Someone had entered the bank and absconded with nearly fifty pounds of coins and gold ingots valued at more than $20,000. Careful investigation of the banking house revealed a muddied handkerchief belonging to David Patterson in the bank’s gold storage room. A search of Patterson’s home, much to his surprise, revealed detailed written plans of the break in, and a small handful of gold coins. It was also shown that Thomas O’Hara was hired by Patterson and was working under an assumed name, though his real name was not in the records. 105

Pulp Fantastic Patterson strongly professed his innocence, claiming he and Douglas O’Toole spent most of the weekend together at O’Toole’s home. When the constables went to Mr. O’Toole’s home, they found it empty, and the owner’s whereabouts unknown. With the mountain of evidence piled against him, David Patterson’s life and name were in ruins. His protestations of innocence fell on deaf ears. In a fit of melancholy, David Patterson took his own life rather than suffer the punishment of others. Many would think that this would spell the end of the Red Headed League, but that wasn’t the case. The members of the League, flush with their ill-gotten wealth, found they rather enjoyed their more nefarious ways. They stayed together, developing new means of acquiring wealth at the expense of others. Adding additional members as necessary, the League expanded until they numbered 500 members. The “President” of the League, Patrick Sullivan, grew truly wealthy during the next 15 years, and upon his death the leadership of the League went to the son of Peter Flynn, Frederick Flynn.

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Over time, the League expanded and continued their elaborate crimes of subterfuge and larceny. Flynn diversified the League, getting them involved not only in complex bank robberies, but blackmail, extortion, and selling secrets to the highest bidder. The true secret of the League is that each member only knows a small number of members. You cant reveal a secret if you don’t know it. That’s what leads the League to be so successful year after year. In pulp fantastic, the League is a great foil for a group of adventurers. Secretive, moderately powerful, and spread out enough to make them a hard target to eliminate. This is what a recurring villain is meant to be.

The Tong of the Black Scorpion The first recorded mention of the Tong of the Black Scorpion – then simply the Black Scorpion Society – is in 14th Century China, as an anti-Manchu resistance movement during the Qing Dynasty, while mythology places their origin after the burning of the southern Shaolin Temple by one of the five survivors of the battle. Most likely a schismatic offshoot of the White Lotus Society, the Tong of the Black Scorpion was originally a political and philosophical society who espoused a form of nihilism and found solace in the worship of the “Eternal Mother of Shadows”; a faceless female deity who gathered her children to her beyond death. The Society became a symbol of Chinese resistance to the rule of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty. Outlawed, the Society went underground, funding its resistance activities through petty crime, extortion and terror. Over the years, the acts of resistance became less and less important to the Society, who instead began to relish the rewards of crime. As the Society transformed into a fully criminal organization so the religious aspect turned darker, twisting in on itself until it became something

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debased and cruel. In the intervening centuries, the Black Scorpion Society became the Tong of the Black Scorpion, a by-word for ruthlessness and terror. The Tong emerged from the shadows again in the 1890’s in London, England, where they were implicated in the kidnapping and murder of several young women. When that branch of the Tong was broken up by the actions of an unconventional Scotland Yard detective, the survivors relocated to the USA, where they built up the Tong again by hiring themselves out as muscle to masterminds. The Tong of the Black Scorpion is governed by a strict code of secrecy and obedience, maintained through terror tactics and ruthless enforcement. Betraying the organization normally results in execution by the monstrous “Death of a Thousand Cuts” or banishment to one of the Tongs “hell chambers” - subterranean cells where miscreants are slowly and horribly tortured to death in a variety of diabolically creative ways. The Tong of the Black Scorpion is generally feared by other Triads and Tongs, as their members are considered savages with no fear of death or injury. The traditional sign of warning from the Tong – a dead scorpion pinned to ones door with a slim dagger – is considered by most to be tantamount to a death sentence, as the Tong has a reputation for being able to eliminate its enemies no matter how well protected they may be. Tong members can usually be identified by a tattoo of a scorpion somewhere on their body – most often on the sole of the foot. While they prefer to use bladed weapons, Tong assassins are proficient in the use of firearms, bows, thrown weapons and even explosives. While most criminal Tongs and Triads are business organizations that prefer to use intimidation and bribery, the Tong of the Black Scorpion seems to enjoy violence and bloodshed for its own sake. Most recently, the Tong of the Black Scorpion seems to have fallen under the leadership of the dreaded Siwang Lung – the so-called “Death Dragon” - and his daughter, the lovely but deadly Du Kai Hua or “Poison Blossom”. note: A “Tong” in Chinese can mean group, organization, association, club, etc. Most Tongs are perfectly legitimate business organizations, rather like the Freemasons or the Rotary Club. Assuming that every Tong they come across is a criminal gang or evil cult could land player characters in a lot of hot water.

The Tsang-Chan The Tsang-Chan are a diminutive tribe of nomadic hunters from the dense jungles of mountainous Central Asia. Shunned and loathed by their neighbors, this secretive people are almost unheard of beyond the immediate area, but since their introduction to Western explorers in the mid-19th Century they have established small communities in almost every corner of the globe. Physically, the Tsang-Chan appear to be of East-Asian/ Mongol stock, with physiques and culture remarkably

Organizations & Secret Societies similar to the head-hunter tribes of the Amazonian basin. In their native lands they are ferocious warriors and stealthy hunters, who use body modification (ritual scarring and piercing) as symbols of rank and social position. Tsang-Chan society is apparently male-dominated, with their women very rarely seen and out-numbered by the men by nearly ten to one.

transport or sale of alcohol illegal. Designed to promote public health and morals, in truth Prohibition ushered in a golden age for organized crime as the chief purveyors of bootleg alcohol. In particular, then Mafia profited, with the enormous financial boost transforming small crime families into vast criminal empires based on the often violent black market in alcohol.

The Tsang-Chan, despite being despised by other local tribes and attacked at every opportunity, seem to have thrived during the early years of the 20th Century, spreading to Europe and North America and forming tightly-knit communities. It was their secretiveness and reluctance to talk to strangers that caused the Providence-based pulp author Howard Philips Lovecraft to base his fictional TchoTcho on them. Like their fictional counterparts, the TsangChan have been accused of cannibalism and of the worship of dark gods, though there is little evidence to support this. One particularly outlandish myth accuses them of being creatures only partly human, who must partake of human flesh to retain their human form. Another infers that they are the servants of things beyond time, led by inhuman magician-priests who come from a future dominated by a savage empire in which humans are bred like cattle for food.

The Mafia is divided into regional “families”, with each family dominated by a Don or mob boss. The Don will attempt to insulate himself from his soldato (soldiers) and any criminal activity by passing orders through an underboss, consigliere or capo. Initiation in to the family is controlled by the boss, underboss or consigliere, while the boss can promote or demote family members at will. Mafia crime families usually have the following structure; Capo di tutti capi: The “Boss of All Bosses” or “Godfather”, this is the title given to the top Mafia boss, the head of the most powerful crime family. In later years, this role will be replaced the the “Commission”.

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What is known is that the Tsang-Chan, with their short stature, high agility and traditional hunting skills, make excellent assassins. As such they are frequently found in the employ of villains and criminal organizations as enforcers and torturers. By the time World War II breaks out, a large number of Tsang-Chan can be found working for the notorious Japanese biological warfare organization, Unit 731.

The Mafia The Mafia is a name given to the many and various culturally-based organized criminal societies, the most wellknown of which is the Sicilian Mafia or “Cosa Nostra” (“Our Thing”). Mafias typically use the threat of violence to practice a variety of crimes, including; extortion, counterfeiting, fencing, murder, robbery, protection racketeering, fraud, loan-sharking, prostitution and illegal gambling. Mafia crime families are normally bound together by a code of silence (Omertà) to protect the organization from outside interference and infiltration. The American Mafia, also known simply as the Mob or the Syndicate, is primarily an Italian-American crime society. With roots in the Sicilian Mafia, the organization emerged amongst Italian immigrants in the Lower East Side of New York and other major port cities on the East Coast of the US during the late 19th and early 20th Century. During the early 1920’s, after Benito Mussolini and his National Fascist Party took control of Italy, waves of fleeing Italian immigrants arrived in the United States, including members of the Sicilian Mafia fleeing Mussolini’s crackdown on organized crime. Their arrival coincided with Prohibition; the enforcement of the Eighteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, which made the manufacture, 107

Pulp Fantastic Boss: Also known as the capofamiglia, capo crimini, representante or Don, this is the title given to the leader of a crime family. Underboss: Sometimes referred to as the “capo bastone”, this is the boss’s second-in-command. He oversees the activities of the soldiers and ensures that the profits from the family’s criminal activities flow to the boss. In the event of the boss’s death or incarceration, the underboss may take control of the family until a new boss is appointed. Consigliere: The consigliere is a combination of advisor, counselor and “right-hand man” to the boss of a crime family. Though ranked third in the crime family, the consigliere has no capos or soldiers working for him. Capo: Also known as a caporegime, captain, skipper or “crew chief,” the capo usually oversees a crew or borgata of ten soldiers, though in recent years he may oversee as many soldiers as he can efficiently control. Each capo reports directly to the underboss, who gives him his authority. The capo is normally responsible for carrying out murders on behalf of the family and runs the day-to-day operations of his crew.

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Soldato: The soldier, “button man,” “made man”, “wiseguy” or “goodfella” is the most frequently encountered level of gangster. Each soldato must have taken an oath of silence (and usually have killed someone) in order to be considered “made.” Picciotto: A low-level soldier, this is little more than a disposable thug used for the day-to-day work of threats, beatings and intimidation. Associate: Sometimes known as a “giovane d’onore” or man of honor. An associate is an employee of a crime family that is not actually a member.

The Nazis In the years following the Great War, Germany was a democratic Republic, suffering terrible political and economic instability. The reparations demanded by the victorious allies against Germany crippled the country, leading to mass unemployment and a vast number of angry, disaffected veterans. One such veteran was Adolf Hitler. Much of the political instability was caused by the infighting of groups of political extremists, one of which was the relatively minor Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, the German Worker’s Party. In reality the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei was little more than the political arm of the Thule Society (Thule-Gesellschaft), a right-wing occult secret society with a focus on racial purity, Aryan mythology and anti-Semitism. Despite having a band of willing thugs to use in battles against other extremists, the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei was sliding into obscurity by 1919 for the lack of effective leadership. Born in Austria in 1899, Adolf Hitler was the fourth of six children who became fixated on warfare after finding a

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picture book about the Franco-Prussian War among his father’s belongings. He began to develop German nationalist ideal at an very early age, and after losing most of his siblings and his father in childhood, he drifted and tried unsuccessfully to become an artist. Forced into a life of menial labor, Hitler left Austria and moved to Munich, where he was living at the outbreak of the Great War. During the war Hitler served as a dispatch runner and was decorated for bravery, receiving the Iron Cross in 1914 and 1918. He was wounded at the Somme and in 1918 was temporarily blinded in a Mustard Gas attack. While recovering in hospital, he learned of Germany’s defeat. Embittered and believing the Germany had been defeated from within by Marxists, civilian leaders and subversives. Wanting to stay in the army for as long as possible, Hitler volunteered to infiltrate the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei in a bid to quell political unrest. While attending meetings he was attracted to their anti-Semitic, nationalist, anti-Marxist ideals and ended up joining the party for real. In 1920, the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei changed its name to the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Workers Party) or Nazi Party and adopted the symbol of a black swastika – formerly a symbol of good in Indian religions – on a white circle against a red background, as designed by Hitler himself. Propelled by his skills as an orator, Hitler was appointed Fuhrer (leader) of the Party in 1921. Under Hitler’s leadership the party membership swelled, and they recruited their own group of thugs, the Sturmabteilung or Brownshirts as protection from rival parties. In 1923, Hitler and his Brownshirts, along with other militant reactionaries attempted to seize power from the Republic, but were unsuccessful. In 1929, Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison, but was released after only nine months. While imprisoned Hitler drafted the initial chapters of what would become his book Mein Kampf (My Struggle), laying down the basic framework of what the Nazi Party would become. By proposing a society built on the principles of racial purity and strength, governed by an elite ruled by Hitler himself, the Nazis created a political platform that appealed to deep-seated elements within the national psyche. However, they still failed to make political headway, with poor election results keeping them in a minority in the Reichstag. In times of economic prosperity, it was hard for the people to take the Nazis seriously. Despite this, party membership grew steadily, and the party gained funding from industrialists who hoped to use the Nazis against socialists and communists. Strengthening his hold on the party, Hitler formed a personal body-guard, the Schutzstaffel, also known as the SS or Blackshirts. The Wall Street crash of 1929 gave the Nazis their opportunity, when desperate American investors recalled their loans from Germany, crippling an economy that depended on them. Banks collapsed, manufacturing and exports dried up, and within three years over a quarter of the German population was out of work. Losing faith in their

Pulp Fantastic government, the people turned to the extremist parties. By 1930, the Nazis had become the second largest political party in the Reichstag, and by 1932 they had a majority, despite the Communists making tremendous gains. Alarmed at the prospect of a Communist revolution, business interests put their support in Hitler, encouraged by his vocal condemnation of the Communists. In 1933, Hitler was invited to become Chancellor of Germany, and following the death of President Von Hindenburg managed to concentrate full legislative power in his hands. The oath taken by army officers was changed to swear allegiance to Hitler personally, and Hitler himself took the title of Führer und Reichskangler (Leader and Reich Chancellor and Supreme Commander-in-Chief), officially beginning the Third Reich. With the Nazi Party in complete control of Germany, the entire population was subject to Nazi indoctrination. Citizens were encouraged to report those who they felt were not adhering to the new state directives. Those found to be insufficiently “patriotic” in their outlook and behavior were harassed, imprisoned or executed.

GAZETEER

Everything in the country, from education to manufacturing, was geared to a war footing. Schools became centers for the promotion of Nazi ideology. Membership in the Hitler Youth became mandatory. Libraries were purged of “non-Aryan thought”, teachers and lecturers were required by law to wear the swastika and swear allegiance to Hitler. During the 1930’s, the Nazis began a program of German re-armament, in violation of the Treaty of Versailles that had ended the Great War, in preparation for their conquest of Europe. Hitler planned to annexe all German-speaking countries first and ally with other Fascist states, such as Italy under Benito Mussolini. German industry was subverted to produce aircraft and armor under a cloak of secrecy, and in 1936 the German Army marched into the demilitarized Rhineland, shredding the Teary of Versailles when Britain and France did nothing to stop them. In 1938, Germany annexed Austria with the popular support of the Austrian people. France and Britain protested, but did little else other than begin re-arming their own forces. By the end of the decade, the Nazis had invaded Czechoslovakia and were beginning the invasion of Poland, the act which finally began World War II and ended the Pulp Era. As seen in countless movies, books and games, virtually no other group in history is better suited for the role of villain in a pulp fantastic campaign. They are perhaps the greatest example of human evil in the last hundred years, and thanks to their uniforms and philosophy, the most distinctive. Suitable for almost any kind of adventure, from straight-up action to espionage or bizarre super-science and occult horror, the Nazis can be found anywhere on the globe from the 1930’s onward. Even before that, groups of “proto-Nazis”, perhaps under the control of the secretive Thule-Gesellschaft can be encountered, a terrible omen of the calamitous conflict that is to come.

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The Gestapo From 1933 onwards, within Nazi Germany dissent was dealt with by agents of the state secret police, the Geheime Staatspolizei or Gestapo, under the leadership of Heinrich Himmler, leader of the SS. The Gestapo began a steady program of sending Jews, gypsies, homosexuals and anyone else they found politically, religiously or racially “undesirable” to concentration camps under the control of the SS, where they were subject to medical experimentation, starvation and execution. The Gestapo was considered to be above the law. According to the principles of the Reich, as long as they did the will of the Fuhrer, anything that they did – up to and including murder and torture – was perfectly legal. The Gestapo maintains a network of spies and informers to ensure compliance with the Nazi regime. School children are encouraged to inform on their parents and neighbors, and almost every German citizen lives in terror of being denounced to the Gestapo and being made to “disappear”. The Gestapo is responsible for overseeing internal security and counterintelligence, and are the organization most involved with the detection and arrest of foreign spies and other agents. Up until the start of World War II, the Gestapo is a plain clothes force, able to walk unnoticed amongst the people.

The SS The Schutzstaffel (Protection Squadron) is a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, originally formed in 1920 as a guard unit known as the “Saal-Schutz” (Hall-Protection) for the purpose of providing security for Nazi Party meetings in Munich. Later in 1925, under the leadership of Heinrich Himmler, it grew from a small paramilitary group into one of the largest and most powerful organizations in the Third Reich, responsible for many of the Nazis crimes against humanity. During World War II the SS fielded more than a million men and wielded almost as much political and military power as the Wehrmacht. Under Himmler, the SS carefully select its members according to Nazi ideology and racial “science”, with the intention of creating an elite order of superior men as a model for the Nazi vision of the master race. By the final stages of World War II, the SS come to dominate the Wehrmacht in order to eliminate potential threats to Adolf Hitler’s power. As the part of the Nazi seizure of political power in Germany, functions such as law enforcement were taken over by the SS, and many SS organizations became replaced government agencies. The SS established and ran the SD (Security service) and took over the administration of the Gestapo, the Kripo (the criminal investigative police), and the Orpo (the regular uniformed police). Legal oversight of the SS and its membership was given to courts run by the SS itself, effectively putting the SS beyond the reach of the law.

Organizations & Secret Societies A special division of the SS, the SS-Totenkopfverbände (Death’s Head Units) was made responsible for the running and administration of Germany’s concentration camps, and was tasked with implementing Hitler’s Final Solution, leading to the eventual extermination of nearly 21 million people, including 12 million Slavs, 6 million Jews, 3 million Soviet prisoners of war and over 2 million ethnic Poles. In the years leading to World War II, the SS were tasked by Hitler with the control and monitoring of the Third Reich’s scientific program and can be found running any number of classified projects, including human experimentation, nuclear research and advanced weapons technology.

The Ahnenerbe Founded in 1935 by Heinrich Himmler, the Ahnenerbe is a Nazi research institute whose official remit is to research the archaeological and cultural roots of the Aryan race, and later to experiment and mount expeditions to gather evidence supporting the Nazi theory that prehistoric and mythological Nordic populations had once ruled the world. The name is derived from the society’s original designation, the German Ancestral Heritage Study Society for Primordial Intellectual History (Deutsches Ahnenerbe—Studiengesellschaft für Geistesurgeschichte). While the Ahnenerbe has sections for the study and recording of Germanic folksongs and mythology, its secret primary focus is the acquisition and study of occult knowledge and artifacts for the Reich. Over the years it has mounted expeditions with the intent of securing the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant, the Spear of Longinius,

and the Yaktavian Bell of Agharta among others. Esoteric scholars also suspect the Ahnenerbe of acquiring, either by trade or coercion, a great deal of magical and occult knowledge from a variety of sources, possibly including the mysterious subterranean Vril-ya people, the TsangChan and the faceless inhabitants of the forbidden Black Lamasery in Tibet. The organization has mounted expeditions to sites of occult importance across the world and seeks relics of vanished cultures and civilizations, all suspected by the Nazis of harboring traces of the “true Aryan history of the world”. Curiously, the Ahnenerbe have been heavily involved with the renovation and reinforcement of Wewelsburg Castle, creating a center of occult study and gathering together one of the largest arcane libraries in the history of the world. Some highly speculative reports even go as far as suggesting that the Ahnenerbe is seeking the ability to field Hexensoldat [witch-soldiers] and supernatural beings in the coming war. Some operatives are already rumored to have supernatural powers and weird technology, and are researching ways to combine the two for the greater glory of the Reich.

The Mara Brotherhood

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Where there is light, shadows fall. This universal truth is never more clearly demonstrated than with the Shadow Monks of the Mara Brotherhood. From their headquarters in the dreaded Black Lamasery of Agharthi, the Shadow Monks subtly spread the cause and worship of Evil across the world in the name of Enlightenment. The history of the Mara Brotherhood is obscure and shrouded in secrecy. To this day, most Buddhists deny there is any such thing, though whether this is from shame or ignorance is unknown. What little is known of the Mara Brotherhood suggests that their beliefs parallel some of the early Gnostic Christian sects, cults that rejected the physical world as the imperfect creation of a false god or “demiurge” and encouraged the indulgence of their fleshly appetites. In a similar way Mara Brotherhood reject the teachings of Buddha as the path to Enlightenment, and instead embrace the Mara or Buddhist principle of evil as the true light of divinity. This curious twisting of belief has combined with certain elements of the pre-Buddhist Bon religion of Tibet, creating a hybrid faith that has little to do with either parent religion. Adherents of the Mara Brotherhood reject the illusion of the world not by attempting to transcend it, as Buddhists do, but by attempting to destroy it. They believe that once the facade of reality is torn down, all of humanity will liberate itself from the prison of flesh and ascend to a state of oneness with a godhead that exists above and beyond Nirvana. Paradoxically, the Mara Texts encourage followers to fully indulge their physical urges and appetites in the belief that only by completely understanding the false world around them can adepts fully grasp its unreality. To one of the Mara Brotherhood, any act, no matter how vile, 111

is in some way holy. Evil in this world, as far as they are concerned, does not exist. The murder of innocents simply frees them from the flesh that much faster and gives them another chance at life, in which they will surely see the truth; that the world around them is a lie. Members of the Mara Brotherhood practice many “magic mantras”, cyclic humming chants that are said to help re-shape the false world to match their desires – more proof, say the Shadow Monks, of the unreality of the world – and this practice is said to turn the tongues of the chanters black or blue. Many practice forms of self-mutilation and ritual scarification, harrowing the flesh to purify the spirit within. Though the Mara Brotherhood retains many of the trappings of Buddhism, it is essentially a shamanistic religion, with novices going on a vision quest while apparently possessed by elemental spirits and ancestral shamans, and experiencing an ordeal in the wilderness during which they envision their repeated destruction at the hands of spirits and daemons. Members of the Mara Brotherhood (which consists of both male and female acolytes) are characterized by their complete lack of fear of death, their obvious enjoyment of the pleasures of the flesh, and their contempt for the “unenlightened”. Though they indulge their appetites, they are frequently expert martial artists, honing their bodies as a way of increasing the depth of their understanding of the illusory world they inhabit. Further, many of the senior monks and abbots of the order have mastered a wide variety of psychic powers, and some still practice what can only be described as Tibetan black magic. More disturbing is the Brotherhoods practice of using the bodies of its enemies to create the entities they call Kundalini Warriors. These creatures – whether they exist or not – are reputed to be captured enemies whose internal Pranic energy flow is radically restructured through an aggressive and unholy form of acupuncture. This horribly painful, irreversible procedure is said to turn the victims into mindless slaves, overflowing with barely-contained Pranic energy, effectively creating walking psychic weapons of immense and terrifying power. Like the Hindus and more orthodox Buddhist sects, the Mara Brotherhood revere the swastika, though like the Nazis they have inverted it, turning a symbol of life and renewal into one of death and decay. It is perhaps this shared symbolism that has led the Nazis and the Mara Brotherhood to exchange information – by the 1930’s the Fuhrer has authorized several expeditions to the forbidden Black Lamasery of the Mara Brotherhood.

Chapter 6 Playing The Game

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f you’ve never played a role-playing game before, then read this entire chapter. If you’re an experienced player, then you can skip the first half and go straight on to the advanced techniques on page 123.

one character is, or how dangerous a bomb is. It keeps everyone on the same page, so to speak.

Why Roleplay?

Don’t let the rules slow things down. Everything in the game can be accomplished with the same basic rule – throw two dice, add Attribute + Skills. Most of the time, the Gamemaster will help you with these rules and how to use them, but don’t worry too much about following everything to the letter. The rules are there to ensure everything runs smoothly, but if you pause in the middle of a desperate chase to look something up, you’re going to lose the flow and the suspension of disbelief.

You’ve probably played computer games that call themselves ‘role-playing games’ before. The big difference between this game and those computer games is that we use imagination instead of glitzy graphics. The big advantage is complete flexibility – you can do anything in a tabletop role-playing game. You create your own characters and your own stories, and those stories can take you anywhere. You play with your friends, sitting around a table and using your imaginations, instead of relying on a computer game to do everything for you. You’re the ones who make and shape the story, and you’re limited only by your own ingenuity and creativity. It’s collaborative storytelling and open-ended adventure... and it’s immensely fun. You don’t need to be an actor, or dress like your character, or be an expert on the Pulps to play this game. You just need to stretch your imagination.

Why Use Rules? So, if this is ‘collaborative storytelling’, then why use rules and dice? Can’t you just decide what happens? The short answer is yes, you can just choose what happens, but the rules fulfill three very important purposes. Firstly, the rules give challenge and uncertainty. You can’t just declare that your character outwits the minions, defeats the mastermind and saves the day – you’ve got to do it within the rules of the game. You need to be lucky, or else arrange events and gather resources so you’ll win even if you’re unlucky. Secondly, the rules give structure. Collaborative storytelling sounds great, but it can fall apart into an argument or get dominated by one person’s ideas. The rules provide a framework for your story and make sure that all the characters get an equal chance to shine. Thirdly, the rules work like a ‘physics engine’ for the game. They make sure that everyone can agree on how strong

Rules are meant to be broken

Simply put, don’t worry about it. Run with it, and remember, the Gamemaster is here to help and to keep things running smooth.

Don’t Cheat On the other hand however, you shouldn’t cheat. Don’t use out-of-character knowledge – just because you know who John Sunlight is doesn’t mean your character does. Don’t hide your dice rolls, or ‘forget’ to mark off a Story Point. Cheating takes the fun out of the game. If it’s a really crucial moment, and your character is looking like he’s going to take a dip in the piranha tank, it’s not really your place to cheat. Characters die, and you move on – you get a new character who may be even better than your last, you never know. People die in the pulps – not often, but they do. If you think you’re going to get killed, go out fighting or doing something suitably heroic. If you do something memorable and the odds were really against you, the Gamemaster will reward you with Story Points or other cool stuff for your next character. It doesn’t mean that cheating doesn’t go on in the game, but this is purely up to the Gamemaster. If a situation is dire, or if you’re about to uncover the villain’s plot way too early in the story, the Gamemaster may fudge some rolls. He won’t tell you about it but any cheating done this way is for the benefit of the whole game. Having your characters killed too early because you’ve done something silly, or ruining the plot, will spoil the game for everyone, so there may be some bending of the rules a little. It comes with the territory. It won’t happen often, and the Gamemaster has the final say, but they’re the only ones who should be ‘cheating’.

Pulp Fantastic

Creating Your Character When making your character, think of how you’ll fit into the group. Don’t hog the spotlight or come up with a character who won’t play well with others. A big game hunter who shoots every animal in sight might sound fun to play, but it will annoy the other players if your first reaction to everything is to open fire. Moderate your ideas to fit in with the other characters, toning them down if necessary. A big game hunter can be a fine character, and you can get into fun arguments about whether or not a particular mutant creature from a villainous menagerie needs to be put down, as long as you’re willing to compromise and not always shoot first.

RULES

In most games, you should create your character after talking with the other players, or even make creating characters a group activity for the first game session. The game works best if all the different player characters can work together, but also play off each other in interesting ways. Make sure your character is useful. Be specialized, but not too specialized. For example, every group needs • • • • •

Someone who’s good at fighting Someone who’s good at talking and bluffing Someone with science and research skills Someone who can handle transport Someone who can sneak around and spy on people (You can combine different roles, of course.) Don’t try to do everything yourself, but make sure you’re not completely focused on one thing. Come up with a back story and a personality for your character. You don’t need to write a whole life story – just one or two ideas is fine to start with. You can build on that during play.

Playing Your Character When playing the game, some people like to talk ‘in character’, while others just describe what their character says and does. In practice, you’ll find yourself switching back and forth depending on what’s happening in the game. If you’re just dealing with a minor matter, like convincing some bystanders to clear the area before they get zapped by Radium Men, then you can just give a vague outline of what your character says and roll the dice. If role-playing is the focus of the scene – say, you’re trying to persuade another character from jumping into an raging river in pursuit of his nemesis – then it’s best to act out what your character says and does. Be dramatic, but not inappropriate. Big action scenes and dramatic confrontations are great, but build up to them. If you disagree with an non-player character, don’t jump straight to physical violence. Go from arguing to a shouting match to threats and then to physical violence.

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Be imaginative. Don’t rely on the gm to come up with everything. Instead of saying ‘I roll Science to work out what the gas is’, describe how you’re doing it; what sort of clues to do you find? What tools do you use? Come up with original approaches to problems instead of doing the same thing over and over. Take the game seriously. By all means, make jokes, but remember that your character is supposed to be a part of the game world. If you taunt the mobsters, expect to get punched - lots. If you run down the street carrying an elephant gun, people will react to you in a very different way to normal. Try to involve the other player characters in whatever you’re doing. Unless it’s important, don’t keep secrets from them or run off on your own all the time. Look for ways to work together as a group, and find ways for the other player characters to use their skills and get spotlight time. Above all else – relax and have fun. Role-playing games are about exploring a mystery and telling a story with your friends, and you can’t get that wrong.

TALK! If there’s one bit of advice we can give you, it’s to talk about the game. Discuss it with the GM, tell him what you want to see in the game. If you want more weird science, more intrigue, more Eldritch Abominations or more Evil Masterminds, let the GM know. Talk to the other players, too – speculate on what’s going to happen next, make plans for future sessions, think about how your characters relate to each other. Talk to people who are fans of the series – maybe they’d like to join the game too. Good communication is vital to the health of a good game.

Advanced Techniques This section is aimed more at experienced players. Once you’ve played a session or two, try putting some of these techniques into use.

Research & Investigation A big part of any pulp fantastic game is investigation. You’ve got to track down weird technology, the scientist or the spy. That’s all research and investigation. Investigation games are all about finding and interpreting clues. You find clues by asking the right questions and/or using your skills. The gm may have a chain of clues set up for you to follow, or he may expect you to piece together what’s going on, but either way, the thing to do is to find clues. Ask questions, poke around and search for evidence and use your skills (especially Knowledge, Science and Technology) to analyze anything you find. Take risks to find clues – if there’s a dangerous monster in a forest, then someone has to go in after it, and that someone is you. If you’ve tracked the Evil Mastermind to a secret base filled with fanatical

Playing The Game cultists, then the cultists are a challenge to be overcome, not a reason to give up. If you’re stuck, it’s because you haven’t found enough clues. (Remember, if you’re totally confused, you can spend a Story Point to get a clue.) When questioning witnesses, remember that most of them will be confused, scared or angered by their experience. Find out what they know by asking those questions, and then find a cover story to deflect further suspicion. Look for ways to approach non-player characters and win their trust. Some problems are to be solved in a single game session. Others are longer plot arcs that will take weeks or months to solve. The difference between the two will be clear in play – if you’re making no progress on a mystery, and you’ve scoured the place for clues, then it’s probably a longer-term plot that will take several sessions to unfold. The easiest way to do this is to do some research about the area and era in which you are playing.

Action The fun parts of the story is getting to the place and disrupting the villains plan. In the pulps it rarely devolves into a firefight, but this does happen sometimes. In most games, the player characters are fighting enemies that are roughly their equals. You might run into criminals, terrorists, armed guards, insane cultists or other human or human-like foes. But in pulp fantastic, that might not always be the case. You might be investigating a mysterious island in the South Seas, populated by dinosaurs and gigantic apes, or dealing with a mad scientist whose robot servants are 12 feet tall and weigh three tons each. One punch or getting clipped by a bullet isn’t going to take your character out, but a snap of a dinosaur’s mighty jaws or a blow from those wrecking-ball fists and you’re gone. If you try going toe-to-toe with something that’s much bigger, stronger, faster and nastier than you, you’re going to get badly beaten, if you’re lucky. Guns help, but they don’t solve everything. Shooting someone – or some thing - attracts unwanted public and official attention, and could potentially result in collateral damage. Action scenes in pulp fantastic, then, aren’t about hiding behind crates and taking pot-shots. You’ll need to get the bad guys away from the public and somewhere you can contain them. That means getting the minions, robots, yetis, dinosaurs and great apes to chase you, it means using the environment, and treating powerful enemies as puzzles to be solved, not foes to be beaten by force.

Working as a group Your characters are part of a team. Find ways to combine your skills and support each other. If you can, look for opportunities to bring other player characters in on the action. Find ways to make them look cool. If you come up with a plan, make sure it relies on at least one other player

character. If a player is sidelined by events, try to bring them back into the game. For example, if a character is severely wounded and doesn’t have the Story Points to heal themselves, then either give them some of your Story Points with an inspiring speech, or else find something for them to do that doesn’t rely on combat. A character with a broken leg could start researching the villain-ofthe-week in the police file room. Disagreements and conflicts between player characters are great and add drama, but don’t let inter-character strife get out of hand. The main focus of the group should always be on dealing with the problem at hand. Don’t go off on secret missions or sneak off on your own every session. If your Group Framework is a military organization or some other group with ranks, then those in charge shouldn’t abuse their authority, and subordinates shouldn’t always disobey. Lead, don’t dictate.

Character Plots Most game sessions are about the group, not individual player characters. Character Plots are subplots that show off or develop some aspect of your character. The gm might introduce some character plots for you based on your back story or personality, but you should also come up with your own ideas for character plots and suggest them to the gm.

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Character plot plots could include: • • • •

Trouble with family members Problems at home Doubts about the group’s purpose Conflicts that are best resolved between game sessions Your character plots may only get a short scene in each game session, or only show up once every few games. The more you involve the other characters in your character’s plots, the more time your plots will get. Make interesting complications for the group! Think of ways that your character plots can bring in other characters or make challenges for the whole team. Give your gm nasty ideas – if you help the gm put your character through an emotional wringer, it’ll paradoxically be more fun for you.

Downtime The game doesn’t have to stop just because you’ve finished playing for the night. The game focuses on the exciting moments of your character’s life, when you’re out hunting technology and materials for the Invisible College, MI7, or whatever organization to which you belong, but there’s more to the game than that. Between game sessions, you can cover ‘downtime’ events with the gm. The usual method for doing this is via email. During downtime, you briefly describe what your character is up when he’s not having adventures. We don’t mean ‘my character goes to the shops, pays his rent, etc. – you can do interesting things in downtime too, like research ongoing mysteries, pursue character plots, hone your skills or get into new sorts of trouble. 115

Pulp Fantastic Use Downtime to explore elements of your character that haven’t come up in the game so far. For example, if you’ve got Friends in Academia, but none of the group’s adventures have involved the university so far, then during downtime you could visit your friends, establish their personalities for the gm, and maybe start a character plot that will bring them into the game. Downtime can also be used to advance character plots.

Conspiracies

RULES

The world of pulp fantastic may be an exaggerated and simplified version of our past, but that doesn’t make it two-dimensional. It’s a complicated, complex place, with myriad powerful forces and individuals working behind the scenes, striving for resources, for power, for

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dominance. There are strange artifacts and weird technologies in the dark places of the world, things that make those who own them valuable, and your group isn’t the only faction that knows about them. By investigating these and the forces that want to exploit them, you’ve made enemies. Conspiracies are always long-term plots that will take weeks of game play to unravel. If you find a trace of a conspiracy, investigate it as best you can, but remember you’re not going to get to the bottom of it easily. The best conspiracies are ones that intimately involve the player characters. Give the gm plenty of juicy plot hooks to use against you, and trust no-one…

Chapter 7 Action!

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his chapter covers all the rules you’ll need to play pulp fantastic. These rules are pretty simple – really, almost everything comes down to variations on the same basic formula. In every situation, you follow these steps. 1.

2.

3.

The gm describes what’s going on. The Gamemaster briefly describes where the characters are, what they can see (and hear, and smell) and what’s going on (as far as they know, anyway). The players decide what they’re going to do. The players choose what course of action they’re going to try. Depending on circumstances, the players may be able to talk amongst themselves and carefully plan their next move (say, they’ve just found an entrance to the villain’s lair in a building site and are discussing the best way to get to it without attracting attention) or each player might have to make a snap decision on his or her own about what their character does (a swarm of clock-work bugs fly out of the lair! What do you do!) Work out which (if any) rules apply. A lot of the time, there’s no need to resort to the rules. If a character is just trying to open a door, or talk to someone, or read some research notes, or drive safely a murder scene, then there’s no need to roll the dice. You only need to use the rules if the action is tricky, dangerous, risky, under time pressure, or if someone’s opposing the character. If the gm decides the player does need to roll, then decide on the combination of Attribute and Skill that best applies. Traits and other bonuses may also come into play. The gm sets the Difficulty for the roll. The Difficulty is the target number that the roll needs to beat to succeed.

4. Roll the Dice, Work Out The Result. The player (or the gm) rolls the dice and adds up the total of all the modifiers (Attribute + Skill + any applicable Traits + the dice roll + anything else). 5. Compare the Result to the Difficulty. If the result’s bigger than the Difficulty, it’s a success; otherwise, it’s a failure. The player (or gm) uses the rules to interpret what happens next. In general, the player can describe the results as they wish, but everything’s subject to the gm’s approval. 6. Back to Step 1. The gm narrates the results of what the characters did (or failed to do), and the players get to react again. Don’t ignore the rules – they exist for a reason. They’re there to make the game more challenging and existing, and to make sure that everyone’s on the same page. The gm may decide to override the rules from time to time in unusual circumstances.

The Basic Rule

All the action in pulp fantastic is based around this basic system: Attribute + Skill + Two Six Sided Dice = Result (try to match or beat the Difficulty of the task) Let’s break that down. Attribute: Select the most appropriate Attribute for what the Character is trying to do. Trying to lift something? Then Strength is the one you need. Trying to work out a scientific problem, or remember a key fact. That’s Ingenuity. Keeping your cool in the face of danger? Use Resolve. Skill: Next find the Skill best suited for the task. Are they running for their lives? Having some Athletics Skill would mean they could run faster and for longer. Having a good Animal Handling or Survival might help identify those tracks, while shooting someone uses Marksman. It’s possible that no Skill applies in a situation, or that the character doesn’t have the right skill. In that case, the gm may permit the player to substitute another skill at a penalty, or apply a penalty to the roll. See Unskilled Attempts, below.

Pulp Fantastic EXAMPLES: BASIC ROLL Lord William “Wild Bill” McGommery is tracking a wounded lion through the jungle. The GM asks Wild Bill’s player to roll to see if he can follow the trail. The GM decides that it’s Tricky to find the lion’s tracks amid the thick undergrowth, so the Difficulty is 15. Wild Bill rolls Awareness + Survival + two six-sided dice and compares the total to the Difficulty. If his total is higher, then he can follow the trail without any problem. If his total is less than the Difficulty, he loses the lion’s trail and cannot follow it. Trait: Do any traits apply? If so, have a look at the Trait description and see if it applies any modifiers to the roll. Dice: Roll two six-sided die, add them together and remember the number. Spending Story Points can add more dice to this roll.

RULES

WHICH ATTRIBUTE OR SKILL TO USE? In most cases, which Skill and Attribute to use are fairly obvious. However, in some cases, there may be two Attributes or Skills that could be used equally well. For example, let’s say the group are trying to follow a wounded lion through dense jungle. The lion has already mauled a couple of local villagers, and our heroes want to capture it before it can do more damage. Tracking is based on Awareness, but what’s the best skill? Survival, to follow the tracks and scrapes on the ground? Animal Handling, to know that lions can climb trees? Science (Zoology) to recall that lions are pack animals, and know that this injured animal will try to reach the safety of her pride? You could make an argument for all three. In this case, the player would choose whatever they’re better at, or the Gamemaster would choose whichever is more apt in their mind. If two Skills or Attributes are relevant, the Gamemaster should keep the unused Skill or Attribute in mind when deciding the outcome of the roll. You’ll see below on the success tables (see page 120) that the results can be interpreted in different ways depending upon the roll. If the Gamemaster chooses, he can bring the unused Attribute or Skill into the result. For example, if Runt is the one following the lion, his low Animal Handling score might mean he backs the wounded animal into a corner, causing it to become even more aggressive. If Wild Bill or Charlie McCoy had been the one pursuing the lion, they’d have known better than to get too close. The Gamemaster doesn’t need to bear this in mind all of the time, but it may be a great way to inspire cool additions to the action and plot. Using Two Attributes: Sometimes, two Attributes are equally appropriate. Tremendous physical endurance could be measured by Strength + Resolve, for example. While most rolls should be Attribute+Skill+Trait, the GM can vary the composition of a roll on occasion.

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The Result: Simply add up the value of the Attribute you’ve selected, the Skill you have and any adjustments from Traits, and the dice roll. If the total is equal to or higher than the Difficulty of the task, then the roll was a success! Otherwise, it’s a failure.

Unskilled Attempts Usually, attempting to do something that you have no Skill in results in failure. You wouldn’t try to fix the wiring inside of a radio if you didn’t know what you were doing, and you wouldn’t try to perform surgery on someone with no medical training. However, in desperate times, you may have to try despite being untrained. Even without a Skill you use the same formula as before. Of course, without a Skill to add in there, the result is going to be lower, which reflects their lack of training, and in most cases, trying to do something without any Skill could actually make things worse. Any time you try to do something that you have absolutely no Skill in, your roll suffers a -4 penalty. If you have a Skill that could help a little, but isn’t completely related, if the Gamemaster approves you can try with a smaller penalty of -2. Tricky tasks will have a high difficulty that will make unskilled attempts almost impossible. Others, such as firing a weapon without training, are possible though without a Skill though the chance of actually succeeding will be slim.

EXAMPLE: UNSKILLED ROLL Lord William McGommery is standing guard over an Evil Mastermind’s earthquake device when it activates and starts to pulse—it’s about to cause a quake and topple the city! Wild Bill’s player asks the GM if he can tell how much time he has before the device completes it’s warm-up and triggers the quake. The GM tells him to roll Ingenuity + Science. Wild Bill doesn’t have Science, so he’d normally be rolling Ingenuity -4 (unSkilled penalty) + 2 dice. Wild Bill’s player points out that he’s got Technology and a stethoscope, and the GM agrees that Wild Bill can use the stethoscope to examine the device. Wild Bill rolls Ingenuity + Technology + 2 dice -2 to study the movement of the devices inner workings and estimate how long he has to deactivate it…

How a roll works So you know how a roll adds up, but what do you need to roll for, and what do the numbers mean? We’ll start at the beginning and decide what the character wants to do.

Intent What are you trying to do? What are you trying to accomplish – and what risks are you willing to take to do so? What’s likely to happen if you fail? Intent is simple to work out when a character’s doing something specific and self-contained. If a character’s intent is “I want to shoot the cultist guard before

Action! he sees that I am here,” then the consequence of failure is that the guard will be able to attack the character freely. If you say something like ‘I want to take a shot at the guard, but I’m staying in cover and slamming the door before he gets too close’, then you’re obviously unwilling to risk an attack from the guard, so your chance of shooting him should be lower and the gm should set a higher difficulty. Describe what you’re trying to do to the gm. Be descriptive and creative.

Difficulty Whenever the characters have to do something that requires a roll, the Gamemaster will determine the difficulty. This is the number the player will have to beat to succeed with the task. The average human Attribute is 3, the average Skill is 2-3, and the average die roll is 7, so an average person should be able to accomplish something with a difficulty of 12 most of the time. The table provides you with suggested difficulty levels, though the Gamemaster can adjust these to suit a particular situation.

ODD NUMBERS Don’t feel like you always have to use these numbers. If the task is harder than a Tricky, but not as difficult as a Hard, you can set the Difficulty of the task at 16 or 17. The numbers on the table are a guide, not set in stone. If you want your characters to feel particularly heroic, you can reduce the Difficulty of their tasks to make it easier for them to succeed.

EXAMPLE: DETAILED RESOLUTION Charlie McCoy is trying to persuade the manager of a nightclub that he needs to evacuate immediately, but he has to convince him without telling him that there’s an earthquake machine upstairs. The GM decides that’s pretty tricky, and sets the difficulty at 21. Cliff’s player rolls Presence + Convince against a Difficulty of 21. Charlie has a Presence of 5 and a Convince of 4. If he fails the roll by 9 or more (which will happen only if she rolls a 2 or 3, then he gets a Disastrous Failure, a ‘No, And...’ result. The manager doesn’t evacuate the nightclub, feels that Charlie is a nut case and calls the cops. If he fails by 4-8, he gets a Bad Failure, a flat no. The manager refuses to listen to him. If he fails by 1-3, then it’s a plain Failure, a ‘No, But’. The GM asks the players what the consequence should be. Charlie’s player suggests that maybe the manager doesn’t believe his character, but has club’s bouncers check the exits. If the player succeeds by 0-3, it’s a basic Success, a ‘Yes, But’ result. The manager agrees to shut down the club, but the evacuation will take almost an hour as everything is carefully switched off and locked down instead of being abandoned in haste. To get a result beyond a basic Success in this case, Charlie’s player needs to spend a Story Point for extra dice – the highest result she can get without spending a point is a 21 (5+4+12).

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If the result beats the difficulty by a 4-8, it’s a Good Success, a ‘Yes’. The manager is convinced by Charlie’s story, and agrees to immediately evacuate the club. To get a Fantastic Success, Charlie’s player would need a total of at least 30, which gives him a ‘Yes, And’ result.

TASK

DIFFICULTY

EXAMPLE

Really Really Easy

3

Really simple, automatic success. Opening a bottle of drink, using a telephone, walking down the street, eating chips. (So simple, you shouldn’t even need to roll!)

Really Easy

6

Doing basic research in the library

Easy

9

Winding a clock, operating a radio, jumping a low fence,

Normal

12

Driving a car in traffic, shooting at someone, swimming in the sea, uncovering a useful but not secret fact.

Tricky

15

Driving at speed, shooting a moving target, climbing a building

Hard

18

Picking a lock, lift twice your own weight, treat a gunshot wound

Difficult

21

Climb a sheer cliff without ropes, charm your way into a government facility, escape from rope bonds.

Very Difficult

24

Recall a whole speech from a Shakespeare play, fix a broken gizmo, fly a plane in turbulence

Improbable!

27

Hit a very small target with a slingshot, break into the Division 4 offices, slide down an elevator cable using only your boots and your pistols.

Nearly Impossible!

30

Climb a skyscraper in the rain, shoot a small target in an adjacent room without looking. 119

Pulp Fantastic WHEN NOT TO ROLL There are times to pick up the dice, and times when you should leave them sitting on the table. Don’t bother to roll if... It’s a trivial task: Don’t call for Transport checks to drive down to the shop, or Technology checks to send an email. Roll the dice only when a task is difficult or important.

RULES

Success is vital: If the game can’t continue until the players succeed at a task, then don’t make them roll for that task. Just say they succeed and move on. Don’t make the players roll Awareness to spot some tracks in the forest if there is no other way for them to find the next part of the adventure. Failure is boring: If you can’t think of a consequence for failure, don’t roll. There’s no point in, say, making the players roll Athletics to climb over a wall if they can keep trying until they succeed. Either make the wall a dangerous challenge (if you fail, you take damage) or put a time limit on the task (if you fail, the spy vanishes off over the rooftops). You’ve Already Rolled: Don’t keep rolling for the same task unless the circumstances have changed. For example, if a character is trying to sneak around a pack of hungry wolves, then the player only rolls Coordination + Subterfuge once, instead of rolling to sneak past each wolf.

AMOUNT ABOVE DIFFICULTY

9+

4-8

0-3

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How well have you done? Have a look at how far above (or below) the Difficulty the Result was. The wider the difference between the Difficulty and your Result, the better you’ve done. The easiest way to remember this is to think of the question “Did you Succeed?” As the result gets better and higher, you progress through “Yes, But” to “Yes,” and finally “Yes, And.” Think again of what your Intent was (see above, page 118) as this will help when it comes to seeing how well you’ve succeeded. Sound odd? Worry not. Check out the examples below and you’ll soon see what we mean and how this works. The same should also go for failures. Sometimes, if you’re attempting something you’re really not skilled for, you could make matters worse just by trying. Look to see how far under the Difficulty you failed by. The lower your result, the worse things could get. Again, think of what your initial Intent was, as this will give you ideas of how badly things went. Note that attacks use a special variation on this table to work out damage.

Cooperation Sometimes a task is so tricky or complicated; the characters are going to have to call in some help. Many hands make light work and all that. Of course, some people can just get in the way and make a mess of things. However, if a group of characters are working on something together, there’s a good chance that they’ll be able to accomplish it.

RESULT

EFFECT “DID YOU SUCCEED?”

Fantastic

Yes, and... something unexpected happened as a result of your astounding success. You get what you wanted, and something extra happens that you and the Gamemaster decides. You shoot the rabid wolf, and its pack starts devouring it instead of chasing you You crack the German Embassy safe, and hide your traces so well they’ll never know it was opened You convince the farmer not to ask questions, and he also lets you use his farmhouse as a base of operations You work out that the bacterial infection is spreading through the water supply, and find a way to treat it.

Good

Yes! You’ve managed to do what you wanted. If the character’s result is 4-8 above the difficulty, they’ve certainly accomplished what they wanted, and pretty well. You shoot the rabid wolf squarely in the chest You crack the German Embassy safe The farmer buys your story about an escaped tiger You put the data together and notice that everyone who fell sick drank tap water from the office building

Success

Yes, but... something may not have gone as well as you’d hoped. You succeeded, but only just. It was a close call, but you managed to scrape through. You’ve succeeded but the Gamemaster may add some sort of complication or secondary problem. You wing the rabid wolf, but your gun’s out of ammo You crack the German Embassy safe, but trip an internal alarm The farmer buys your story about an escaped tiger – but he told a friend down in the village pub, and now you’ve got a news hound following you around You work out that the bacterial infection is spreading through the water supply, but unfortunately, you realize this five minutes after making yourself a cup of coffee from the office canteen...

Action! In such cases, there’s usually someone who’ll take the lead. Hopefully, they should have some Skill in what’s being attempted, and are usually the most up to the task. Everyone else mucks in and tries to help this leader to accomplish their task. The helpers, if they have a suitable Skill that could help, add +2 each to the leader’s attempt. The Gamemaster may put a limit on how many people can help in any given circumstance. For example, only two or three people could operate on someone in a hospital theater, and only three or four people could physically grapple another person without getting in each other’s way. As a general rule, limit the Cooperation rule to four helpers maximum except in extreme circumstances (twelve people are trying to lift an overturned truck off of a trapped survivor - this works as it’s physically possible for that many people to “muck in!”). Notice how we said “suitable” Skill, not necessarily the same Skill. After all, if you’re working on a special tranquillizer formula that works only works on canines, you could have a good Science (chemistry) Skill, but someone

EXAMPLE: COOPERATION Lord William McGommery is searching an abandoned warehouse for an escaped spy. Normally, this would be a straight Awareness + Survival roll, but Wild Bill has a team of three government agents with him. His player suggests that the team can assist him in the search, and the GM agrees, offering Wild Bill a +6 bonus to his roll because of the three agent’ help. AMOUNT UNDER DIFFICULTY

1-3

4-8

9+

RESULT

could help with no Science Skill if they were a knowledgeable veterinarian (Medicine skill). If, however, someone insists on helping who doesn’t have a fitting Skill, it may be that their helping slows things down or even hinders.

Taking Time Another way to deal with incredibly hard tasks is to take your time and work at it over a period of time. Of course, this isn’t possible in every instance, but usually when it comes to research, investigating something, or very complex scientific experiments or projects, taking your time and working at it can help. The Gamemaster should have some sort of idea of how long something would take to complete. Imagine the character actually doing it, and try to guess how long something would take. If it’s a very complex task, such as a series of experiments or building a complex device, it should take hours (if not days or longer for a really complex task that’s not vital to the story plot). If the character spends longer than necessary on a task, taking their time and being extra careful, they are more likely to succeed. Taking twice as long adds a +2 bonus to the roll, three times as long adds +4, and so on up to a maximum bonus of +10. The gm may prefer to break up a long task into a series of skill checks, with each one adding new potential complications. For example, if a character is working on deciphering the secrets of a piece of weird technology, the gm could have her make one Technology roll per game session, with each one possibly affecting the next roll (‘You fail to work

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EFFECT “DID YOU SUCCEED?”

Failure

No, but... It could have been worse. You failed, and didn’t manage to achieve what you hoped, but it wasn’t a horrible failure. The Gamemaster may allow you to gain something out of the encounter, but it may not be what you’d expected. You didn’t find the data on the German Archives, but you did manage to get out without being detected. The farmer obviously doesn’t believe your story about an escaped lion, but he takes one look at your truck full of guns and decides to take an early lunch. He’s out of your way for a short time. You are not sure how the files are being stolen, but you do know they are being physically taken.

Bad

No! You’ve certainly failed at the task, but it could have been worse. You miss the rabid wolf, and it’s coming for you! You failed to crack the German Embassy safe, and the guards may know you’re here. The farmer refuses to believe that there’s an escaped lion on the loose. He keeps working on his farm, complicating your efforts to track down the spy network. You’ve no idea where this bacteria is coming from.

Disastrous

No, and... something else has gone wrong. Not only is the failure terrible, but things may have worse consequences. You miss the rabid wolf with your burst of fire, and you run out of ammo. You fail to sneak into the villain’s base, not only that but you have set off an alarm and you have about five minutes before his minions come to find you. The farmer suspects you’re actually trying to rob him, and threatens you with a shotgun.

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Pulp Fantastic TIME TAKEN

MODIFIER

TIME TAKEN

PENALTY

×2

+2

1/2

-2

×3

+4

1/3

-4

×4

+6

1/4

-6

×5

+8

1/5

-8

×6

+10

1/6

-10

out how the gadget works, but you think it’s got something to do with light’ See also the Invention rules on page 159. Similarly, halving the time it would normally take to do something means the roll receives a -2 penalty, and so on, just like taking extra time.

RULES

EXAMPLE: TIMED ROLL Runt is trying to open a safe in the office of the German Ambassador to retrieve information about a Nazi spy-ring. He wants to stay undetected by the guards, so he takes his time. It would normally take him two hours to crack a safe this complex; if he takes twelve hours, that’ll give him a +10 bonus to his roll. So, he’ll pull an all-nighter and do the job right. Before beginning this safe-cracking marathon, he learns that Charlie McCoy is in trouble and they need the location of the spy-ring’s headquarters now. Runt decides to take ¼ the normal time, which means a -6 penalty to his roll. Time to spend some Story Points!

EXAMPLE: CONTESTED ROLL In a fortified redoubt in the Himalayas, Charlie McCoy and Siwang Lung debate free will versus the need for humanity to find a strong leader or destroy itself. Both are trying to convince the other, so it’s a contest of Resolve + Convince on both sides. Both roll Resolve + Convince + two six-sided dice. The highest result wins the argument. The loser will be swayed by the argument of the winner, but the losing player can spend Story Points (see page 135) to ignore this compulsion.

Contested Rolls If you’re directly opposing someone else – say, in an argument or a chess match or a wrestling contest or trying to deceive someone – then the difficulty is determined by an opposed Skill Check, not by the Difficulty table. Both sides in the conflict make a roll, and the highest Result wins. Sometimes, both sides use the same Attribute + Skill combo. If two characters are wrestling, then they’d both roll Strength + Fighting. If they’re both playing chess, then it’s probably Awareness + Ingenuity. At other times, each side might use a different combination. For example, if Charlie McCoy is trying to use false papers to get past a guard, then that might use his Presence + Convince against the guard’s Awareness + Subterfuge. 122

Complications If you wish to add more realism or detail into a Conflict, certain environmental factors can be taken into account. If the task at hand is tricky or complicated, or there are conditions such as rain, darkness or being hurried, the Gamemaster can have a look at the examples provided below and apply a modifier that seems suitable. These are just a guideline, and Gamemasters should feel free to modify the rolls as they see fit, though it makes for a speedier and smoother game if these modifiers are used sparingly. Of course, modifiers should only be taken into account in a Conflict only if one side alone is effected by it. If both are effected equally, you don’t need to worry about this sort of thing. EXAMPLE

MODIFIER

Characters have the element of surprise, or a head start, or have innate knowledge of the environment, area or time period. Opposition is distracted or confused.

+2

Nothing is affecting the situation, or is affecting all sides equally.

0

Poor lighting, in a mild hurry, target more than 20m away.

-1

Characters surprised by enemy, trying to do two things at once, target is moving at running speed.

-2

Bad lighting (dark, no moonlight or streetlights) and opponent can see in the dark, panicked, trying to to three things at once. Trying to shoot at a specific part of the target (head, a hand, etc.)

-4

Target more than 200m away or is a fast moving vehicle, trying to do four things at once.

-6

Fighting in pitch blackness against an opponent who can see or against a target out of sight, resisting when only just waking up.

-10

Multiple Opponents If there are multiple people involved in a conflict, it can be easier to divide the bad guys into groups and use the Co-Operation rules. You can also use the Multiple Opponents rules to model gangs of minions or packs of animals in combat. Instead of making an attack roll for every G-man backing up “Wild Bill” McGommery, just have each agent aid Wild Bill, so he makes a single attack roll with a huge bonus.

Action!

Combat & Extended Conflicts The usual action rules cover most of the scrapes and unlikely situations that player characters get into when chasing anomalies, but what about gunfights, car chases and other running action sequences. In a situation where you’ve got characters acting and reacting to each other, you need to use Action Rounds and the Extended Conflict rules. Each Action Round is a few seconds of time, during which each character can perform one action (and may also react to someone else’s action if they have to).

Intent Firstly, everyone declares what they’re going to do, as per the usual action rules. Sometimes, a character’s intent may be rendered void by the actions of others who went earlier in the round. For example, if two characters both announce they’re going to shoot at a gangster, and the first character to act kills takes him down with his attack, the second character’s attack is pointless. A character may change intent in such a case, but takes a -2 penalty to his roll (in effect, he’s reacting to himself – see below).

Action Phases Action Rounds are divided into four Phases; Talking, Moving, Doing and Fighting, in that order (this may seem counter-intuitive to some players, but it accurately reflects the dramatically satisfying way things happen in the Pulps, rather than the way they happen in reality…whatever that may be). Next, actions are resolved in the following order. Talking: For those who prefer talking to fighting. Even in the tensest of situation, diplomacy and persuasion (and sometimes out-and-out lying) can often be more effective than weapons. Note that you don’t need to wait for this Phase to shout out a brief warning or speak a word of command, but you do need to wait for this Phase if you’re going to be speaking at length (explaining something, making an inspirational speech, persuading a confused foe to put down his weapon, etc.) The place can be exploding or you could be held at gunpoint, but before anyone starts shooting or tying you up, you get to say your piece. Moving: Motion is the most direct form of Action. Running from a threat, charging an enemy, diving for cover, leaping into combat, swinging from a rope; all these occur in the Moving Phase. If the movement carries the character from one area to another, changes his situation, moves him more than a few metres or requires a roll – it counts as an Action. Even if you’re sneaking into the villains hidden lair as quietly as possible, trying to avoid alerting his guards, you’re moving from one place to the next, and this Phase is when you do it. Note that, as with talking, you don’t have to wait until the Movement Phase for minor movement. A pace or two, sitting down, changing your posture – these are minor movements and can be done at any time.

Doing: If you’re not talking, running or fighting the enemy, you’re probably planning on doing something that’ll help the situation. Characters act in the Doing Phase when their action involves something not covered by one of the other three Phases. Doing covers performing tasks like repairing an engine, reloading a weapon, forcing a lock, grabbing the idol from the pedestal or anything else that involves making a roll to complete a task that doesn’t involve Talking, Moving, or Fighting. Fighters: Finally, the people who choose to fight or shoot take their turn. Characters act in the Fighting Phase when they are attempting to cause harm to someone or something, either with a weapon or with their bare hands. Within each Phase, characters act in order of Coordination. (If two characters have the same Coordination, then the one with the highest Awareness moves first; if they’re still tied, they act simultaneously).

Exceptions As with everything, there are always exceptions to a rule. In this case, it is creatures or characters with the Fast or Slow Trait. (see page 197 and page 202). Fast creatures always get to act first. If there’s more than one Fast creature present, they move in order of Coordination. This means that most predators get to act before the player characters. Once all the Fast creatures have acted, proceed with the Phases as listed above.

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After that, Slow creatures act. These are slow-moving animals like domesticated animals, as well as drugged creatures and most vehicles and environmental features.

Characters roll and perform their actions When it’s their turn to go in the Action Round, it’s time for the characters to do their thing. In many cases, their intended action will be resisted in some way by their opponent, whether this is arguing, convincing, seducing, bluffing, punching, shooting or trying to mentally control someone. Other times it will be a simple roll against the Difficulty of their action, if they are doing something with no resistance, such as running, fixing a gadget or defusing a bomb or if the target is completely unaware of the first attack. If the character’s actions are resisted by someone, there will be a “Reaction” to determine how hard it is for the player to act.

Reactions - Resisting the roll Instead of both sides rolling with their own intentions, and the most successful one determining the outcome of the Conflict, the Extended Conflict breaks things down even further, with each person getting to try to do what they intend, and being resisted with a suitable Skill. To determine the Difficulty of the character’s roll, you first look at the person they’re acting against, giving them a chance to react and to defend themselves against the action. 123

Pulp Fantastic WHAT ARE YOU USING?

RULES

Depending upon the actions of the characters, both attacker and defender, there are many combinations of Attribute and Skill that can be used. Here are some suggestions: WHAT YOU WANT TO DO

SKILLS USED

RESISTED BY

Arguing

Presence with Convince

Resolve with Convince

Seduce

Presence with Convince

Resolve with Ingenuity

Punch

Strength with Fighting

Strength with Fighting (if actively blocking)

Shoot

Coordination with Marksman

Coordination with Athletics (if dodging about)

Hide

Coordination with Subterfuge

Awareness with Ingenuity

Reactions are technically a form of action. If you’ve already taken your Action this round, then the first Reaction you make is at a -2 penalty. Alternatively, if you’ve already had to React before you took your Action, then your Action suffers a -2 penalty.

you’re being shot at. You roll Coordination + Athletics, but you only get a 3 on your dice roll. You’ve dodged, but not very well. It’s probably better in that situation to roll again when the next guy shoots at you, in the hopes of getting a better Resistance.

You can take any number of Reactions in a round, but there’s a cumulative -2 penalty. You can only take one Action in a round.

Combat Complications

You don’t have to react, but if you don’t, then you’re considered to roll snake-eyes (double 1) on the dice roll. For example, Lord William McGommery is trying to slam a door shut on a horde of cultists (his intended Action for the round), when a clockwork assassin bug (a Fast creature) drops on his face. At the same time Runt tries to convince him not to shoot it as they need it intact to find an antidote to its venom. In order, Wild Bill makes one Reaction (Strength + Fighting) to hold off the bug, one Action (Strength + Athletics) to shut the door (at a -2 penalty, because it’s the second time he’s acted) and finally Resolve + Convince (at a -4 penalty, for the third roll) if he wants to resist Runt’s persuasion.

Ongoing Reactions A lot of Reactions work for an entire Action Round. If someone takes a shot at you, and you dodge (using your Coordination and Athletics to duck), then it’s just as hard for any other bad guys to shoot you that round. Your resistance applies to all their attacks, too. Similarly, if you’re hiding, your Coordination + Subterfuge applies to all the people looking for you. Other Reactions only work against a single attack. If the gm makes you roll Strength + Athletics to stay on your feet when you get side-swiped by a car, then that resistance only works against one swipe – if another vehicle clips you, you’ll have to roll again. The Gamemaster decides whether or not a Reaction sticks around for a whole round. In general, if the Reaction involves dodging or evading, it lasts for the whole round. If you blocked or parried, it applies only to that one roll. Even if a Reaction is ongoing, you can choose to roll it again (applying the usual cumulative -2 penalty for doing extra stuff in an Action Round. For example, let’s say 124

We’ve mentioned a bit about modifiers to rolls depending on how tricky things are in the heat of battle, but to make things easier for Gamemasters, here’s a summary of Combat and some suggested modifiers. Movement: Rather than fiddle with precise numbers, we’ll keep things simple, and use semi-abstract zones called Areas. Most of the time the actual size of an Area isn’t important – in open ground, an area might be 3m x 3m, but when you’re moving through cramped sewers, Areas are a lot smaller. If you’re in an aerial chase with a fast-moving target, then the Areas might be 100ft x 100ft or more. The gm should break the scene of the combat into a number of areas. Take the lobby of a large downtown office building; let’s assume that the big central area just through the main doors is four Areas, the stairs up to the mezzanine is another Area, the mezzanine itself is another four Areas long, and each of the offices off the central area is another Area. You can move as many Areas as your effective speed. On foot, your speed is equal to your Coordination. So if your Coordination is 3, you can move 3 Areas on foot. Some creatures can move faster than their Coordination would indicate. Range: As we mentioned, most of the time combat is fairly close. Combatants are usually in the same room. This means we don’t really need to worry about complicated modifiers for range. Pistols and other handguns are usually designed for moderately close combat, so they can only hit targets up to 50m away. Rifles, and other weapons like this designed for longer range combat so their maximum range is around 500 metres. You can fire at targets that are outside of these ranges, but your roll will suffer a -4 penalty. Aiming: You could take your time and aim, especially if you’re targeting a specific part. This takes your Action in Round to aim, and you can’t do anything else (no dodging

Action! or any Reactions). If you aim, you get to make a roll as if you’d attacked normally (so you roll Coordination + Marksman). If you succeed in this roll, you get a bonus to your next attack roll. A success on the Aiming roll gives you a +2 bonus, a Good result gets you +4, and Fantastic gets you a huge +6 bonus. However, if you are attacked or interrupted in any way before taking the shot, this bonus is lost. The Sharpshooter Trait helps with aiming. Targeting a Specific Body Part: You can aim for a specific location, such as trying to hit a soldier in the arm so they drop their gun, the roll is harder and there is a -2 modifier on their roll to hit. If the location is very small, for example shooting at the pistol in someone’s hand, this modifier is increased to -4. If the player hits, they can choose the Attribute that is reduced from the damage and aim to hit one Attribute hard rather than reducing a little off of a few. Cover: Hiding behind things is probably the safest bet when the guns are firing. Cover provides two advantages - one is that it is harder to hit a target that’s smaller to see, the second is that the cover provides protection against injury. Imagine how much of the character is visible and how much is behind cover. The more of the character that is hidden, the harder it is to hit them. HOW MUCH IS BEHIND COVER?

MODIFIER TO HIT

1/3 (Low boxes, or kneeling)

-2 modifier to hit

2/3 (head & shoulders visible, target laying on the floor)

-4 modifier to hit

Shooting at someone who is behind some form of protection reduces the amount of damage that actually hits them. It’s all dependent upon what it’s made out of and how thick it is. Some objects can only take so much damage for you before it is destroyed and useless. Here’s a rough guide.

severity of their failure. For example, a weapon that normally does 3/6/9 damage would do 6/12/18 damage to someone who failed to get into cover in time. Firing full auto takes the entire Round; targeting a 45° arc uses half a clip of ammunition and affecting a 90-degree arc uses the entire clip. Suppression Fire: You can also use an automatic weapon to force the other side to keep their heads down. Roll your attack as normal. Anyone who’s not in cover gets attacked as per the normal rules on automatic fire. Everyone who is in cover doesn’t get hit, but must make an Awareness + Resolve roll to resist your attack. Those who fail suffer a -2 penalty to their next action on a normal failure, a -4 penalty on a Bad Failure, and are just frozen in terror and can’t move on a Disastrous result.

USING AREAS Areas are a handy way of including tactical decisions in combat without getting bogged down in precise measurements and maps. The trick is to come up with a few interesting Areas in each combat zone, and then have the players choose where they want to go. For example, if the characters are making their way through a crowded warehouse, looking for the escaped Nazi spy that’s lurking in there. The warehouse might be broken into: • The open area around the main door (no cover, but it’s close to the way out) • The maze of big crates (probably where the spy is hiding) • The pile of smaller crates (the characters can easily climb up on that to hide)

TYPE

ARMOUR DAMAGE IT CAN TAKE PROTECTION BEFORE DESTROYED

Wood

1

5

Brick Wall

10

50

• The walkway overhead (pretty safe)

Concrete Wall

15

70

• The stairs up to the walkway (very exposed)

Steel Wall

30

250

• The office at the back (small and cramped)

Body armor works the same way. Firing Multiple Shots: You can pump the trigger of a handgun, firing it repeatedly in a round. Each attack after the first incurs a penalty, usually -2 per previous attack. Automatic Weapons: Some weapons are capable of automatic fire, shooting a hail of bullets. If you’re caught in the open by automatic weapons fire, you’re almost certainly going to be hit. You simply selects an area of up to a 90° arc in his line of vision and shower it with bullets. You then make a standard attack roll. Everyone in the area gets a chance to dive for cover with a +2 bonus to the roll. If anyone fails to dodge into cover then they take twice as much damage as they usually would, depending on the

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• The stack of barrels filled with chemicals (knocked over, they might start a fire)

Now, turn all that into Areas. • The open area around the main door (4 areas) • The maze of big crates (8 areas) • The pile of smaller crates (2 areas) • The stack of barrels filled with chemicals (2 areas) • The walkway overhead (4 areas) • The stairs up to the walkway (1 area) • The office at the back (1 area)

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Pulp Fantastic Big Targets: Monster, dinosaurs, vehicles and other oversized objects are divided into several different size categories. Importantly, if there’s a difference of more than one size category, then the bigger creatures have to use Coordination when making attacks instead of Strength.

Getting Hit If an attack hits, then the victim takes damage. See Losing a Physical Conflict, page 130.

EXAMPLE: SIMPLE COMBAT

RULES

Note: You should read the damage rules on page 130 before trying to follow these examples! Charlie McCoy’s going to punch one of the Crimson Claw’s minions. First, we work out who’s going first – it’s determined by Coordination, and Charlie’s got the higher score (plus the Quick Reflexes Trait). Charlie rolls Strength + Fighting to hit; the minion reacts with Strength + Fighting to block. Charlie chooses to go for a called shot (-4 to hit) and spends a Story Point for an extra two dice. Charlie rolls his Strength (4) + his Fighting (3) + 4 dice, for a total of 22, -4 for his Called Shot. The minion rolls his Strength (5) + Fighting (4) + 2 dice, for a grand total of 11. Charlie gets a Fantastic Success, which means he does Strength x 1.5 damage right to the minion’s Resolve. That’s six points of damage, knocking the minion’s Resolve right down to zero. He’s out like a light.

Chases

Chases happen a lot in pulp fantastic. Chasing after escaped spies, running from armed minions, fleeing angry cops who are less than thrilled at you doing their job for them and want to arrest you – there’s a lot of running around. The first important thing in any chase is the speed of everyone involved. On foot, your speed is equal to your Coordination. If you’re in a Vehicle, your speed is equal to the speed of the vehicle plus your Coordination. More details of vehicles and their speeds can be found with the equipment (see page 152). If the way is without barriers, obstacles or other problems, then moving is pretty easy and you don’t need to roll. Simple obstacles, such as low pipes, slippery floor or the sudden appearance of a cat jumping out in front of you will need a normal roll, Coordination and a suitable Skill – Athletics if you’re running, Transport if you’re in a vehicle. You can go faster than your speed as well, but it’ll require a roll (again, Coordination and either Athletics or Transport). If you succeed, you increase the number of Areas you move depending upon the Result (+1 for a Success, +2 for a Good or +3 for Fantastic!). If you fail, you’ve tripped or scraped the vehicle and it’s slowed you down - that’s the risk you take for 126

EXAMPLE: COMPLEX COMBAT Charlie McCoy, Runt and Wild Bill are in trouble. They were chasing an escaped gorilla – when they blundered into a warehouse and interrupted a confrontation between armed gangsters. One of the criminals assumed it was a police raid, and pulled a gun. Time for combat! Everyone declares their actions. The gorilla is going to attack. Charlie declares he’s getting everyone into cover. Wild Bill has his rifle ready and loaded with mercy bullets; he wants to take a shot at the gorilla. Runt has no gun, so he chooses to throw a rock at the angry gorilla in the hope of distracting it. The gangsters are all firing at Charlie. Now, onto actions. The gorilla is the only Fast creature present, which means it goes first regardless of its Coordination. It leaps into the middle of the gangsters and lashes out at one of them. The GM doesn’t even bother rolling – she just declares that the gangster’s skull is crushed by the beast’s blow. Next, it’s the Average-speed characters. Charlie and Wild Bill both have Coordination 4, but Charlie’s got a higher Awareness, so he goes first. He pushes Wild Bill and Runt into cover. The GM decides that’s a Strength + Athletics roll, and that it’ll count as Wild Bill and Runt’s Reaction for the round too if Charlie rolls well enough. Wild Bill’s the next to act. He fires a shot from his rifle rolling against Coordination + Marksman. The gorilla can dodge, rolling Coordination + Athletics, but is at a -2 penalty because this is its first Reaction in the round. Wild Bill hits, and the drugged mercy bullet thuds into the gorilla’s hairy thigh. The gorilla needs to make a Strength + Resolve test to resist the tranquillizer (see page 131 for tranquillizer rules). Next come the gangsters. Their declared action was to shoot at Charlie, but he’s in cover. The GM decides they’ll shoot at the gorilla instead. They’re at a -2 penalty for changing their intent; their Marksman attack is resisted by the gorilla’s Coordination + Athletics. The gorilla can use the same reaction as it used to resist Wild Bill’s shot. A hail of mostly inaccurate gunfire blasts around the warehouse. The enraged gorilla roars in pain as it is shot half a dozen times. Finally, Runt acts. He pops up and throws a rock. He misses the gorilla, but gets a ‘No, But’ result – he doesn’t hit the ape, but he does hit one of the gangsters right between the eyes. Everyone’s acted this round. The gorilla’s drugged and severely wounded, but it still goes first next round. Unless the team come up with something very clever, the enraged great ape is going to cause more havoc before the gangsters shoot it to death… pushing yourself a little too far. You reduce the number of Areas you travel an equal amount for the failure (-1 for a Failure, -2 for a Bad, or -3 for Disastrous). On top of that, a Disastrous Result could mean that your vehicle, or yourself, takes some damage from crashing or tripping over.

Action!

Terrain

Combat in Chases

Sometimes the way isn’t always clear, but often worrying about the terrain can slow things down - literally. If the way isn’t simply open roads or skies, the characters may have to make Coordination and Athletics or Transport rolls to see how the terrain effects the way ahead. The Difficulty of entering an Area with such a terrain can be determined using the guidelines below. Roll just as if you were trying to go faster than your normal Speed (see above), only the Difficulty is determined by the terrain. Success means the character can travel through as normal, possibly even faster than their speed, failure means that the Terrain has slowed them down. A Disastrous Result, as before, can mean they have crashed, bashed their head on a pipe, slipped on ice or something similar.

Characters can shoot at each other while engaged in a chase. Shooting at a target ahead while running or driving is easier than shooting behind. Remember, they will have used their Action running or driving, so will have a -2 penalty before taking into account that the target will be moving (another -2 penalty, or more if they are in vehicles traveling at very different speeds, and another -2 if shooting behind them and then there’s the chance of crashing into something). It’s not going to be easy to hit them (unless the vehicle is huge, making it a little easier to hit), so the best bet is to try to catch up or force them to stop.

Pursuit! Chases are a simple case of comparing how fast the two (or more) people are moving. Most chases will start with the various people 2 or 3 Areas away from each other, it’ll depend on the situation and how the chase starts. In a chase, it is an Extended Conflict, just as any other. The winner gets away or catches up, depending on where they are in the chase. If the way is tricky, there can be modifiers. However, chases are meant to be played fast, quick and exciting, so the rules are designed to be as simple as possible. If at any time, the Gamemaster decides this is slowing things down, ignore the rules and run with it - literally. However, if it is important to resolve an outcome of a chase in detail, the following rules should break it down into a simple, yet exciting series of Action Rounds. Each Action Round, simply compare the Speeds of both characters involved. Look at the Speed of the person running away, and take away the Speed of the person pursuing them. If the number of Areas between the characters is reduced to Zero (0), then the pursuer has caught up with the pursued. If the number of Areas between them increases over 6, then the pursued usually escapes. In some circumstances, where visibility is particularly poor, this may be reduced (such as a busy city center). The same goes for the reverse, in open space or the countryside, where you can see the target a long way off, the number of Areas required to escape may be increased at the Gamemaster’s discretion.

Doing Something Crazy There’s nothing like doing something crazy to make a Chase more exciting. It can be anything that has a bit of danger involved, from vaulting over a fence when running on foot to driving your motorcycle on the pavement, to driving a car through a department store or the wrong way down a highway. The crazier the stunt, the more difficult it is going to be, however if you’re successful, it could mean a quick escape. If you’re feeling daring you can opt to do a “Stunt”. The player can determine what it is, and the Difficulty of stunt. The player will have to beat this Difficulty to perform the stunt - failing this and the stunt goes wrong and they risk crashing or tripping over. If they succeed, the NPC will have to repeat the stunt to keep up, at the same Difficulty. Any difference in success levels (Fantastic, Good, Success, etc) between those performing the stunts can widen or shorten the distance between them by as many Areas as the difference.

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Different characters and creatures can use different methods of doing stunts. If you’re being chased by a bull, you might scramble over a fence by rolling Coordination + Athletics. That bull, though, is just going to try smashing through the fence with Strength + Athletics.

Cooperating in a Chase Of course, if there are multiple people involved in the chase each should roll separately. This way, if someone is particularly slow, there’s a good chance that they’ll be caught. It’ll be up to the rest of the group to see if they hold back and wait for them. If someone is slow and holding the group up, they can act as a whole, with the faster characters aiding the slower to escape. In this case,

DIFFICULTY

TERRAIN

6

Open road

9

Open ground, field

12

Normal street, average traffic and pedestrians

15

Busy street, stairs, undergrowth

18

Loose rubble, dense forest, ladders, very crowded street during rush hour.

21

Swamp, mountainous 127

Pulp Fantastic the characters all roll separately as before, but the slow character can be helped along with the other characters providing a bonus using the Cooperation rules (see above, page 120). Remember though, when you’re being chased by an Eldritch Abomination, you don’t have to be faster than the monster, you just need to be faster than your team-mates!

Losing a Physical Conflict: Getting Hurt

RULES

Sometimes the injury is so small that there’s no heavy paperwork involved. The Gamemaster may just remember your injury and say that you may be walking slower due to that twisted ankle, or that you can’t reach that item on the top shelf cause of the pain in your arm. If injuries are severe enough, you may find that one or more of the character’s Attributes are reduced. Which Attribute is down to the actual source of injury. It should be logical to the story and to the event - for example, falling a distance and failing to land safely may result in a loss of Coordination from a leg injury, or possibly Strength. Getting shot could mean you’d lose Strength, Coordination (if it’s in a limb), or Resolve. In most cases, the Gamemaster will dictate which Attributes are affected. Most sources of injury will have a number or a letter next to it to indicate the damage the character would take from it. These are explained in the handy sidebar.

Levels of Injury All sources of injury, whether they are weapons, falls, poisons, or worse, will have a value attached to it. This is usually a number, or in some cases S (for Stun) or L (for

Lethal). In most of these cases, the numerical value refers to the “middle” effect (a Good or Bad). This is halved for a Failure (or a Success if you’re trying to inflict the injury), or multiplied by 1.5 for a Disastrous (or Fantastic if you’re doing the harming). Remember to round down to the nearest whole number unless this is zero. S or Stun results mean that the target is rendered unconscious. At the Gamemasters discretion, the character may be able to perform a last desperate act before passing out, such as crying a warning or pressing a button. Normal Stun effects last around 30 minutes, but cause no actual physical injury (aside from minor bruising when the character hits the floor). On a Disastrous result the character is unconscious for 45 minutes, and on a Failure the character is incapacitated for just 15 minutes. However, the Gamemaster may amend these durations according to the source of the damage and the needs of the story. On recovering consciousness, the character may feel queasy, aching and a little unwell, though this should soon pass. L or Lethal results mean that the attack is normally instantly fatal. In the Pulps such attacks were rare and were usually limited to the toxins and rare venoms employed by evil masterminds and their assassins. Lethal attacks are included in the game as a reminder that there are some enemies the player characters really should stay away from, and they also encourage planning and tactical thinking when facing terrible danger. A character on the wrong end of a Lethal attack can spend Story Points to avoid it. If they cannot, then the character is killed on a Bad or Disastrous result. On a Failure, the character manages to avoid death, but suffers a serious injury as a result of diving out the way of the attack (at least 4 points of damage).

VEHICLE COLLISIONS If a vehicle smashes into something like a person, a large creature or another vehicle, both the vehicle and the victim take damage. The base damage equal to the average of the vehicle’s speed + Hit Capacity, rounding up. If the victim is one or more Size Categories bigger than the vehicle, the base damage is halved. Next, work out the actual damage. This is resolved like an attack; the driver of the vehicle must make a Coordination + Transport check to determine how much damage the collision does. (If the driver is trying to avoid a damaging collision, then use the same roll, but damage is applied on a failure, not a success.) The vehicle takes the same damage if the victim is the same size or bigger than the vehicle; half damage if the victim is one size smaller, and no damage otherwise. For example: After an expedition to an isolated South Seas island, there’s now an angry giant ape loose on Broadway. Charlie McCoy commandeers a Ford V-8 and rams the beast at full speed. The Ford is moving at Speed 8 and has a Hit Capacity of 12, for an average of 10. So, the collision is going to do 5/10/15 damage to the “8th Wonder of the World”. Charlie makes a Drive test; if he makes a Fantastic success, he’ll do the higher value; if he merely gets a Good success, he’ll hit for the middle value and so on. If Charlie was trying to avoid hitting the giant ape then the results would be reversed. He’d do maximum damage on a Dismal failure, average damage on a Bad failure, and the lowest damage on a Marginal failure. If Charlie was driving a smaller vehicle, the damage would be halved. The giant ape is bigger than the Ford, so the vehicle takes the same damage as the beast (minus the vehicle’s armor).

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Action! WHICH ATTRIBUTE?

RANDOM LOCATIONS

A lot of the time, the Attribute effected is determined by the source of the injury. For example, if the character is shot in the leg by an arrow, the Gamemaster will decide which Attributes most suit the injury. In this case, he thinks that a point should come off of the character’s Resolve, as the injury will effect his drive and determination. A point should also be lost from Coordination, as they’re less able to move about quite so easily. And finally, the Gamemaster decides that a final point should be lost from Strength, due to his newly weakened physical state.

If the action doesn’t instantly provide you with inspiration for where an injury would happen, you can roll a location randomly. Just roll two dice and look up on the table below. If the location doesn’t work, or if the limb is behind cover, you can either roll again, or decide that the cover absorbs the damage.

If it’s a severe injury, the Gamemaster may apply all of the damage to one Attribute, effectively incapacitating the character from using that Attribute until they can get medical attention. A less severe one (a Failure, rather than a Disastrous) may take a little off of multiple Attributes. Still unsure? Imagine where they’ve been hit - head, body, arms or legs. What would the injury effect? A blow to the head would probably effect their Coordination, Awareness, Presence, and Resolve, even Ingenuity. A hit to the body would effect their Strength and Resolve. Arms or Legs would lower their Coordination, Strength, or Resolve. If you’re still stuck, just reduce their Resolve and then Strength when the Resolve is gone, but a little imagination with the injury can lead to great story effects and plot developments! Numerical value results indicate how many points of Attributes will be reduced by the injury. The Gamemaster will discuss this with the player to suit the story and the source of the injury. After all, not all sources are the same. We’ll cover the various sources of injury later and give you and the Gamemaster guidelines for how this works. The number presented is the normal, for a Bad result or defeat. This number is halved (round down) for a Failure result, and multiplied by 1.5 for a Disastrous result. For example, a weapon that has a damage value of 6 will reduce one or more Attributes by a total of six levels on a Bad result. A Failure would knock this figure down to 3, and a Disastrous result would be 9. Don’t worry, we’ll save all those maths - in most cases, when a source of injury is presented, we’ll present it with the half and the 1.5 to speed things up, with the normal figure in the middle. A fairly nasty weapon that has a value of 8 will be presented as 4/8/12, meaning it’s 4 for Failure, 8 for Bad and 12 for a Disastrous. RESISTANCE FAILED…

DAMAGE

1-3 (Normal Failure)

½ damage

4-8 (Bad Failure)

Full Damage

9+ (Disastrous Failure)

1 ½ damage

Fighting Damage

ROLL

LOCATION

CALLED SHOT DIFFICULTY

ATTRIBUTE REDUCED

2-4

Leg

-2

Coordination, Strength, Resolve

5-8

Body

-0

Strength, Resolve

9-10

Arm (or Forearm)

-2

Coordination, Strength, Resolve

11-12

Head

-4

Coordination, Awareness, Presence, Resolve, Ingenuity

Success and 4 on a Fantastic). If they have a Strength of 5, they do 5 points of damage on a Good result (2 on a Success and 7 on a Fantastic). If they are using a weapon, the damage is increased depending upon what sort of weapon it is that you’re swinging around. Follow this simple checklist, and for every “yes” add +2 to your character’s Strength. Is it sharp? (Does it have a cutting edge, sharp points or something equally nasty designed to puncture or slash the target?)

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Is it heavy? (Does it need two hands to lift?) Is it dangerous? (Does it do damage without you having to do anything, like an electric cattle prod, a chainsaw or a red-hot poker?) For every one of these, add +2 to the Strength of the character when working out damage. So if it’s something like a sword, it’s your character’s Strength +2. If it’s a big Scottish claymore and you really need to use it two-handed, then it’s both heavy and sharp so it’s Strength +4. If it’s something really nasty like a chainsaw, it’s both sharp and dangerous, but it’s also heavy and two-handed, so it gets the full +6 to the Strength. These damages also count if you’re throwing a weapon (such as a knife or rock) at someone. The stronger you are, the more force you can put behind the throw doing more damage.

Marksman Damage Shooting something is a different case. It’s not about how strong you are, it’s about how accurate you can shoot. In most cases, a bullet will do the same amount of damage if it hits, no matter who fires it. See individual weapon descriptions starting on page 141 for how much damage a bullet does on a Normal/Good/Fantastic result.

When it comes to close, physical combat, it’s all about how strong you are. If the character has a Strength of 3, they will do 3 points of damage on a Good Roll (and 1 on a 129

Pulp Fantastic IT’S A KNOCKOUT! Want to knock someone out? Then make a Called Shot (-2 to your roll) and choose to attack their Resolve. If you reduce someone to Resolve 0, they’re knocked unconscious. Obviously, you can’t do this with a lot of weapons – trying to knock someone out with a chainsaw is impossible. Damage taken from being knocked out is ignored when the character wakes, though they may have a headache and a bad bruise.

IT’S A KNOCKBACK!

RULES

If a character is hit by something big, the GM may rule that he’s been knocked back instead of taking the full force of the blow. Knockback halves the damage, but the character is sent flying and is stunned for a few rounds. How long are you stunned for? That’s up to the GM, but the player can always spend a Story Point to recover.

Other Sources of Injury Falls: Falling can result from failing at climbing something, failing to jump over a gap or run around obstacles. The distance fallen determines how much damage taken from hitting the ground. For every metre your character falls, the value of the damage is 1. So if you fall 5 metres, the damage value is 5. This is from failing the initial climb, jump or running roll and this is the value for a Bad result, it will be reduced (halved) if the result was a Failure or increased (x 1.5) if you get a Disastrous. This reflects something breaking your fall, managing to land on a ledge (albeit a little painfully), catching yourself on the way down or landing particularly badly, making things worse. Crashes: Most vehicles are designed to protect the passengers (with the exception of bikes, and other forms of transport where the driver is exposed). If the character hits something at speed, or is hit by something traveling at speed, the damage is equal to number of Areas it traveled in the last action. For example, getting hit by a car that was traveling 8 Areas in its action does 8 points of damage (on a Bad result when trying to avoid it, halved for a Failure, or ×1.5 for a Disastrous). Passengers in a vehicle that hits something suffer the same damage, only reduced by the armor protection of the car. If the car that was traveling at 8 Areas then hits a brick wall, if the car provided 4 levels of armor protection (see vehicles, on page 149), each passenger takes 4 levels of damage. Drowning: Drowning, like falling, is the result of failing a roll. This time it comes from failing at swimming or holding your breath in a flooded area. A Bad result will mean the character sustains 8 levels of damage (usually to Strength and Resolve). A Failure reduces this to 4 which would mean that you’ve swallowed a lungful of water, choked a little and have hurt yourself but you’re okay to try again. Disastrous result is Lethal, so let’s hope you have some Story Points to knock it up to a level or two. If you’re trapped in a flooded room or location, you’re going to take

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this damage every ten seconds or so, so you’re going to have to find a way out quick. The same rules apply to toxic gases and unbreathable atmospheres (one of the hazards of secret volcano bases). Fire: Fire’s a tricky one, as it can depend upon how big the fire is. The way we’ll handle it is actually avoiding catching on fire yourself. This way, you can run through a burning building, fight back a blaze, try to put out a burning document that has been thrown into an open fireplace – it’s all handled the same way. The Gamemaster will change the difficulty if the fire is particularly intense, but a failure means that you’ve caught fire in some way – an item of clothing has caught alight, or worse. Roll Strength + Resolve if you’re walking through flames, or Co-Ordination + Resolve if you’re trying to bat out flames or avoid touching the flames in a burning house. A Disastrous result is Lethal, as it doesn’t take long for the flames to totally engulf a person. A Bad or Failure result means that you’ve managed to put out the fire after suffering some burns, reducing the damage to 8 or 4 respectively. Again, Story Points are going to be the lifesaver in this situation. If you’re in an environment where the oxygen content of the atmosphere is higher, then fire does more damage. Conversely, a lower O2 atmosphere makes fires burn less intensely. Cold/Heat: Cold isn’t quite so instant in its danger, it is all about exposure. Depending upon how cold it is, the Gamemaster will assign a damage level depending upon how extreme the temperature is. Characters will have to make rolls using their Strength and any suitable Skill (usually Survival, modified by Traits) to avoid exposure. This may have to be repeated every hour (or more in extreme conditions), the character gradually losing Attributes until they freeze to death. The same effect can be used for exposure to extreme heat, like being caught in the open of the hot desert sun. Again, the Gamemaster will assign a damage level depending upon how hot it is, and Strength and Survival rolls are required to avoid taking damage from the heat. TEMPERATURE

DAMAGE (NORMAL - BAD RESULT)

Above 55 Degrees Celsius

5 per 5mins

Above 45 Degrees Celsius

3 per hour

Above 30 Degrees Celsius

1 per day

Below -5 Degrees Celsius

1 per day

Below -20 Degrees Celsius

3 per hour

Below -40 Degrees Celsius

5 per 5mins

These figures are approximations based on exposure without the correct clothing or protective gear. The Gamemaster should feel free to adjust these figures or make up their own to suit the situation. Oxygen Deprivation: Some environments have greater or lesser percentages of oxygen in their atmospheric composition. A lower partial pressure of oxygen is like being

Action! on top of a very tall mountain – the air is thin and it’s harder to catch your breath. A lower percentage of oxygen isn’t actively dangerous, but you’ll get tired more quickly (the gm may choose to hit you with Resolve or Strength damage, or ask you to pay a Story Point to avoid becoming exhausted after running or fighting.) Electricity: If a character touches a live electrical wire (or a conductive object that’s connected to such a wire), they must make a Strength + Resolve roll. Even if they succeed, they’re stunned for one round. If the roll fails, they take 4 damage on a Failure, 8 on a Bad Failure and are killed on a Disastrous result. Again, the Difficulty depends on the strength of the current – zapping someone with the current from a domestic supply is very different to pushing them into an industrial transformer. Poison: Poison is a special form of damage. Each poison attack has a Difficulty Number and a damage associated with it. The poison takes effect 1d6 rounds after the initial bite. When it starts to take effect, the character must make a Strength + Resolve roll against the poison. If the character fails, check the Poison Effect table below. RESISTANCE FAILED BY

RESULT

1-3 (Normal)

The character takes extra damage from the poison every ten minutes.

4-8 (Bad)

The character takes extra damage from the poison every minutes.

9+ (Disastrous)

The character takes extra damage from the poison every round.

Medical treatment can give a bonus to the character’s Resistance rolls against poison; the right antivenin can cure the poison entirely. Some poisons attack a particular Attribute; a neurotoxin would primarily hit Awareness and Ingenuity, while a paralytic mainly affects Coordination. Disease: As the world shrinks due to easier, cheaper and faster means of travel, so new and strange diseases come to light. Flesh-eating bacteria, horrible viruses and virulent fungal infections all lie in wait in the sweltering jungles or lurk below the radar in isolated populations. As a rule, Pulp heroes rarely if ever come down with common illnesses such as colds or flu (unless it is used for comedy value,

such as a henchman who can’t stop sneezing or a character who has to spend the day with his face in a steam bath), so these rules only concern themselves with diseases of the strange, unusual or dangerous variety. Remember that at this point in history, antibiotics have not yet been discovered, so that diseases that are easily treatable in the modern era can be life threatening in the age of the Pulps. When exposed to the vector of a disease (for example, a character is splashed with the blood of an infected person, or approaches someone affected by an airborne disease without wearing a mask) the character resists infection by rolling Strength + Resolve against the Difficulty of the disease. Failure means the character is infected and suffers the damage and side-effects listed under the description of the disease. Once infected, the character must make a similar roll to fight the disease every day. To fully recover from the illness (if it can be recovered from) the character must make a number of successful resistance rolls as listed on the disease table. A Failure inflicts the diseases damage again and increases the number of successes required by 1, a Bad result by 2 and a Disastrous result by 3. When the character has met or exceeded the required number of successes, he has beaten the disease and is considered fully recovered and free from side-effects. If medical care is provided while the character is sick, it can add to the character’s success total and reduce his recovery time. Characters providing medical aid must roll Ingenuity + Medicine plus the number of recovery successes already made by the patient against the Difficulty of the disease. Should they wish to provide continuing aid, they may make this roll once per day and speed the patients recovery still further. Should any of their rolls fail, however, the patient suffers the same penalties as if they themselves had failed a recovery roll.

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Plague: Responsible for some of the deadliest pandemics in human history, plague (also known as the Black Death) spread across Europe from Central Asia in the mid-14th Century, killing an estimated 75 million people, almost half of them in Europe. Caused by the Yersina Pestis bacterium, the disease is spread by fleas carried by black rats and other rodents and takes three form; Bubonic, Septicaemic and Pneumonic. Both the bubonic and septicaemic

DISEASE TABLE NAME

VECTOR

DIFFICULTY DAMAGE

RECOVERY SUCCESSES

Plague

Infected flea bites

12

6

8

Smallpox

Airborne, Body Fluids

12

3

8

Malaria

Infected mosquitoes

12

4

10

Cholera

Contaminated water

16

6

6

Typhoid Fever

Contaminated food or water

10

5

5

Yellow Fever

Infected mosquitoes

14

5

6

Necrotizing Fasciitis

Septic wounds

8

4

10

Rabies

Infected animal bites

20

6

Fatal

Spanish Flu

Airborne, Body Fluids

15

6

10 131

Pulp Fantastic forms are transmitted by flea bites, while the pneumonic form is airborne via the exhalations of infected carriers and is the only form of plague that can be spread from person to person. Due to the ease of transmission, plague was used as one of the earliest forms of biological weapon, with infected corpses dumped in water supplies or catapulted over city walls to spread the disease. Once a patent is infected, the bacterium multiplies rapidly, with an incubation period of 2-6 days (1-3 for the pneumonic form) before the patient becomes ill. Symptoms include; Bubonic Plague: Headache, alternating fever and chills, physical weakness and one or more painfully swollen lymph nodes (buboes, usually closest to where the bacterium entered the body).

RULES

Septicaemic Plague: Abdominal pain, alternating fever and chills, extreme physical weakness and – in extreme cases – subcutaneous bleeding. Gangrene of the extremities can occur. Pneumonic Plague: Headache, fever, physical weakness and shortness of breath, chest pains and a hacking cough. Patients develop a rapidly progressing pneumonia that can cause respiratory failure and shock. If left untreated, all three forms of plague can be fatal, with a mortality rate of about 66%. Characters infected with plague suffer a -5 penalty to all rolls when attempting to do anything other than lie in bed and recover. Smallpox: A serious, contagious and potentially fatal disease, smallpox is spread by direct contact between people, and occasionally by contact with infected body fluids or contaminated clothing or bedding. It is sometimes airborne within enclosed spaces, but this is rare. After an incubation period of between 7 and 17 days (during which the patient is not infectious), symptoms include a high fever, physical weakness and lassitude, head and body aches and occasional vomiting. After 2 days the patient develops a dense rash across the body that develops over a period of days into hard pustules filled with infectious fluid. These eventually scab over and fall off, leaving pitted white scars. If treated, the disease usually lasts about 20 days, during which time the patient is too sick to move around and suffers a -6 penalty to all rolls involving anything more than bed-rest and recovery. Death occurs in about 1% of cases. Malaria: Caused by parasites carried in the gut of infected mosquito populations in hot, humid countries, the disease is a major health hazard in the third world. After being bitten by an infected mosquito, the patient remains symptom-free during an incubation period of between 7 and 30 days before suffering their first attack. Malaria attacks typically last between 6 and 10 hours and include fever, chills, profuse sweating, body aches, nausea and vomiting, malaise and occasional delirium. These attacks may reoccur months or even years after the patient has recovered from the original illness, often corresponding with periods of stress or ill health. In cases where the patient is already ill or is suffering from a pre-existing condition, severe malaria may set in, resulting in seizures, 132

acute kidney failure and potentially death. Once symptoms manifest the patient is too sick to move around and suffers a -6 penalty to all rolls involving anything more than bedrest and recovery. Prophylactic treatments are available to prevent infection. Cholera: Caused by the ingestion of water contaminated by the bacterium Vibrio Cholerae. Onset of the disease is rapid with early symptoms including watery diarrhea (which is itself highly contagious), nausea and vomiting, rapid heart rate, dry eyes and mouth, loss of skin elasticity, low blood pressure, thirst, muscle cramps and restlessness or irritability. If left untreated this can lead to acute renal failure, circulatory collapse, coma, shock and – in about 50% of cases – death. Once symptoms manifest the patient is too sick to move around and suffers a -6 penalty to all rolls involving anything more than bed-rest and recovery. Typhoid Fever: Caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi, typhoid fever is a potentially deadly disease transmitted by the consumption of contaminated food or water. The disease has a short incubation period and a gradual onset. Symptoms include fever, headache, constipation, malaise, chills, and headache, making it hard to distinguish from other diseases. In severe cases confusion, delirium, intestinal perforation, and death may occur. If untreated, death occurs in about 30% of all cases. Once symptoms fully manifest the patient is too sick to move around and suffers a -7 penalty to all rolls involving anything more than bed-rest and recovery. Yellow Fever: Caused by a virus transmitted by infected mosquitoes, Yellow Fever has an incubation period of 3 to 7 days. Symptoms are sudden and include chills, fever, severe headache, back pain, general body aches, nausea and vomiting, fatigue and physical weakness. The illness casts several days and usually improves by itself, though weakness and fatigue may last several months. After a brief period lasting from 6 to 24 hours, roughly 20% of patients develop a more severe form of the disease with symptoms including high fever, jaundice, bleeding, and eventually shock and multiple organ failures. Death follows in about 50% of severe cases. Once symptoms manifest the patient is too sick to move around and suffers a -4 penalty to all rolls involving anything more than bedrest and recovery. Necrotizing Fasciitis: Caused when a common type of streptococcus bacterium carried without ill-effect by most people gets into muscle-tissue, the bloodstream or the lungs, necrotizing fasciitis spreads rapidly and consumes flesh, fatty tissue and skin. Symptoms include severe rapid swelling and intense pain at the site of infection, blackening of the tissues, Treatment usually involves the excision or amputation of infected tissue. Pus or fluids from infected areas are highly infectious if brought into contact with open wounds or sores. If left untreated, death occurs in 25% of cases. The disease is excruciatingly painful and infected characters are unable to act once the disease sets in, which takes about 24 hours. Rabies: Rabies is a deadly virus transmitted by infected

Action! saliva contained in the bite of an infected animal. The incubation period from bite to the first symptoms can vary wildly, from 4 days to 12 weeks. Initial symptoms are similar to the flu; headache, chills, fever and body ache, accompanied by a severe itching at the site of the bite. During this period infected characters may still act, but suffer a -2 penalty on all rolls not involving fighting the disease. Within days these symptoms include delirium, confusion, hallucinations and erratic or abnormal behavior. Once these symptoms arise, the disease is almost always fatal. Later symptoms include extreme terror, aggression and hydrophobia. During this stage of the disease characters can no longer act and any treatment involves reducing their pain and distress. Spanish Flu: In the years immediately following the Great War, Spanish Flu infected one-third of the human race and killed over 100 million human beings in one of the deadliest disease outbreaks in history. With a very short incubation period (often as short as 24 hours), symptoms include weakness, fever, muscle and joint pain, coughing and loss of appetite. In severe cases the disease would progress to severe pneumonia, with patients often drowning as their lungs filled with fluid. The disease is extremely debilitating, and once symptoms have begun to manifest characters suffer a -4 penalty to all rolls involving anything more than bed-rest and recovery.

Mental or Social Conflicts Mental and Social Conflicts work in a similar way to Physical Conflicts. Being outwitted, tricked or out-maneuvered counts as losing a Mental Conflict, while being argued into a position, embarrassed or forced to obey an order is losing a Social Conflict.

Bluffing & Deception Lying and deceit is a vital skill when trying to keep the existence of the Anomalies a secret. Usually, you’ll roll Presence + Convince against the other person’s resistance. If you’re trying to fool someone, then he’d roll Awareness + Convince (if they’re trying to see through your bluff) or Resolve + Convince (if they’re trying to resist your blather). Most bluffing attempts can be resolved as a Simple Conflict – just roll once and check the result table.

Arguments Knock-down, drag-out arguments and debates are basically fist-fights, only with words instead of punches. Use the standard combat rules, but instead of rolling Strength + Fighting, the participants roll Presence + Convince, and the damage gets applied to the loser’s Resolve, Ingenuity, Presence or Awareness. Called shots can be used in arguments; trying to undermine someone’s confidence is a called shot to their Resolve, while humiliating someone is an attack on their Presence.

cutting verbal jab, bringing in someone’s dark secrets, or good role-playing can increase the damage from an attack just like using a tire iron or a sword or a chainsaw can improve a melee attack.

Getting scared Intimidating someone by threatening them physically is a simple conflict – you could use Strength + Convince or Presence + Fighting (but not Strength + Fighting – that’s actually punching someone, as opposed to merely looking dangerous), and is resisted by Resolve + Convince or Resolve + Strength. Monsters, Eldritch Abominations and other creatures are a different matter. Monsters terrify us out on an instinctive level. Any creature with a Fear Factor can intimidate people by its presence alone. The creature rolls Presence + Resolve + its Fear Factor. The characters can resist by rolling Resolve + Ingenuity. If you fail a fear test, you’re frozen in terror for one round. Failing really badly might mean you instinctively flee, or panic, or drop anything you’re holding. If you’ve got the Brave trait, you can spend a Story Point to resist fear.

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BEING POSSESSED There are many beings and creatures capable of taking over the character, controlling their every action and thought. Defending yourself against an alien consciousness that is trying to control your mind is a normal Conflict, with the attacker’s Resolve + Convince against the character’s Resolve + Ingenuity (if a battle of wits) or Strength (if a battle of pure mental power). Any applicable Traits can modify the Attributes of each side. If the character wins, he retains his control and sanity. If the character fails, they can opt to spend Story Points to retain control. If they’re out of Story Points, the attacker will take control, and the Gamemaster will dictate what they wish to do. There may be moments when the character can retain control for a couple of seconds – stopping themselves from pulling that trigger, trying to tell the others what the attacker’s evil plans are or how to defeat it. It’s not easy, but the Gamemaster may allow you to do this if it develops the story. How to shake the thrall of possession? It’s going to cost Story Points, but if you’re already possessed it probably means you’ve already run out of Story Points, so you’re going to have to get them from your friends. They can donate Story Points – a rousing speech of support, a meaningful dialogue to remind you of who you are – anything that might bring you back to your senses may help.

You can have ‘weapons’ in an argument. An especially 133

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Losing a Mental or Social Conflict There are several ways to handle the consequences of a mental or social defeat.

Loss of Attributes Non-physical attributes like Ingenuity or Resolve can be damaged by conflicts. If Wild Bill and Charlie McCoy have a furious argument, then Wild Bill’s Resolve might be damaged and his temper spills over into other situations. This works just like physical damage, but heals a lot faster. Most conflicts won’t inflict damage like this; save it for attacks that really hurt the character emotionally, forcing him to make stupid decisions.

RULES

Temporary Bad Trait Another possible result of a lost Conflict is the acquisition of a temporary Bad Trait, or the loss of an existing Good Trait. This is especially appropriate for social conflicts that only affect a set group of people. For example, if a character commits a massive social blunder at a high-class party, then his Presence and Resolve are unaffected – he’s still as commanding and determined as ever – but he may pick up the Unattractive Trait when dealing with anyone who knows about his faux pas.

Forced To Comply The most likely result of a social or mental conflict that the character is compelled to go along with some suggestion. For non-player characters, this works perfectly well. What happens if one player character gets into a Social Conflict with another, or is on the losing side of a conflict with an NPC? If your character loses a Social Conflict, you’ve got two options: Go along with it. People get talked into doing the wrong thing all the time, or make bad decisions. Letting your character act against his best and avoid the social compulsion.

Healing Natural Healing Without medical aid, or after it has been administered, natural healing is at a rate of 1 level of Attribute per day of full rest. The ‘Fast Healer’ trait improves this rate. Normally, when one adventure ends, any injuries are healed and Attributes are restored to the normal level. However, there are exceptions - if the Gamemaster is planning a two or three part adventure, where very little time passes between, injuries will be kept, or healed slightly at the Gamemaster’s discretion.

Medic! However, if medical aid is at hand and you need to get back into the action as quickly as possible, a trained doctor 134

or medic (someone with the Medicine Skill) can try to patch you up. A successful Medicine roll will “heal” an injury, restoring levels of Attributes that have been lost. For a Success, 1 level is restored. 2 for a Good and 3 points for a Fantastic respectively. The Gamemaster may apply modifiers if the injuries are severe or if modern medical supplies are unavailable, or in conditions where infection is a major threat. Getting injured beyond the reach of civilization is very dangerous. This sort of medical assistance can only be done once for each injury. That is, if you are injured from a fall, reducing your Coordination by 1, someone can try to patch you up and restore that missing level. If they fail, it cannot be attempted again until the character sustains another injury. However, if you receive another 2 points of injury and your resident medic gets a Fantastic result, you will have all 3 points of injury restored. How hard is it to heal a character? The usual default Difficulty is 12, but the Difficulty should be increased by one for every Attribute the character has that is at zero. Severe injuries are going to be harder to patch up, and sometimes the best thing for them is a trip to the nearest hospital.

Multiple Injuries and Reduced Attributes All this talk of losing Attribute points, there can be a time when the character has lost a lot of points. When an Attribute reaches zero, the character is unable to do anything related to that Attribute. So what does that mean for each Attribute? Zero Awareness may mean that one or more of their senses have been temporarily impaired, leaving them unable to move around on their own. They’re so dazed or unable to tell what is going on around them that they will not know what is happening, or may be unable to communicate. Zero Coordination, they’ll be flailing around as if they’d had one too many at the local bar. They’ll keep falling over or tripping over the slightest thing, over reaching for items, knocking everything over. Probably best just to sit down and hope to recover. Zero Ingenuity (not one that will drop often) will mean the character is so tired or defeated they’re unable to think sensibly or come up with any ideas. They may do foolish things, like blindly following foolhardy orders or believe what people say unquestioningly. Zero Presence and the character will probably be unconscious, unable to talk or communicate until revived by medical means or given time to recover. If remaining conscious, they will refuse or be unable to communicate with anyone, shunning contact with others as they seem threatening. Zero Resolve means they’ve given up completely, admitted defeat and will sit around not really wanting to do anything. They become open to suggestion and likely to do anything they’re told. If inundated with suggestions or

Action! orders they may react badly to the overwhelming instructions, striking out at everyone nearby.

Story Points

Zero Strength, they’re likely to collapse to the floor, unable to even stand. The character will have to be carried and will probably not have enough strength to defend or help themselves.

You’ve heard the term Story Points used many times so far, and each player should already have some marked down on their character sheet. Before everyone starts playing, the Gamemaster will hand out a number of tokens to each player equal to their Story Points. That way, when they spend a Story Point, they simply hand the token back to the Gamemaster rather than having to rub out numbers constantly on the character sheet until you can see through it. If the Gamemaster rewards the players for good play or aiding the story, he’ll hand some back to you. Simple as that.

Hitting zero in an Attribute is pretty bad, and it may be that your character may develop a Bad Trait to reflect the lasting effects of hitting zero. Reaching zero in more than one Attribute and things get serious. If three or more Attributes reach zero, not only will the character be almost unable to do anything, they’re so badly injured that there is a good chance that they’ll be killed. See Getting Killed, page 139.

But what do they do and how are they used? Story Points are used to tweak the course of events in a player’s favor. It’s not just the players that have Story Points - some villains have a number of Story Points that the Gamemaster can use to keep them alive longer, or so they can escape to plan another escapade that the players will have to thwart. During the game, you can expect Story Points to be flowing freely back and forth across the table.

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Pulp Fantastic Story Points can be used in many different ways. The Gamemaster will advise if it’s a good or bad time to use them, and as always, the Gamemaster will have final say. The Gamemaster may also limit the number of Story Points used in any particular adventure or session. Below we’ve presented some uses for Story Points, explaining how they work in the game.

succeed from a disastrous fail. One point per bump in levels means that you can move from a Disastrous to a Success result with three Story Points.

Clues

Of course, you can end up spending more points than planned. Villains have Story Points as well, and it may be that a pivotal Conflict becomes a match between who can spend the most Story Points to win. Spending Story Points to succeed where you would have failed doesn’t mean that the villain cannot spend some of their Story Points to ensure your failure remains!

If the players are really stuck and don’t know where to go or what to do next, they can opt to spend a Story Point and the Gamemaster can give them a subtle nudge in the right direction. Just one of the players need spend the Story Point, and it’ll be their character that suddenly realizes the way to go and makes a suggestion to the rest, or has a lucky break that points in the direction of the plot.

RULES

Bonus Dice If the character knows beforehand that the outcome of a particular roll is vital to their success, that the fate of the universe may revolve around that one roll, then it may be that the player will want to spend a Story Point to add a little to the roll. The character steels themselves to prepare for the task, and takes a deep breath. In game terms, the character spends a Story Point and can add an additional two six-sided dice to the roll. This isn’t a guaranteed success, after all you could roll two “1’s”, but there is a chance you could succeed phenomenally well. The player will have to judge if the task is worth spending those valuable Story Points. If you spend even more Story Points before you roll, you get one extra dice per Story Point. You can also spend Story Points after you roll, but they’re less effective – spending a Story Point after the roll gives you one extra dice. You can spend a maximum of 3 Story Points on any one roll (so, 4 extra dice if you spend them all before you roll, or three points if you spend them afterward).

Avoiding Failure Failing at something can be disastrous. Worse, it can be fatal if the task was during a life threatening moment. Luckily, if you fail at a roll, you have the option to “tweak” the results a little to succeed. This must be done straight after the roll in question – there’s no jumping back in time to fix something an hour or a week later. As soon as you know you’ve failed at something you have the option to spend Story Points to improve the result. A single Story Point will bump the result up one in the character’s favor. For example, a Disastrous result – which can often be fatal in a Conflict – can be bumped up one to a Bad result. A Bad becomes a Failure, a Failure becomes a Success result, and so on. If it’s a truly essential roll and you simply have to make it, you can spend more than one Story Point at a time to 136

The only limit in doing this is that you cannot bump a roll in your favor higher than a Success result. After all, you would have failed normally, so there’s no spending five Story Points to get a Fantastic result.

Ignore Damage Getting hurt...hurts. As damage is applied straight to your character’s Attributes, every injury you suffer means your chances of succeeding at related tasks are reduced. Once the jaguar starts clawing your leg off, reducing your Strength and Coordination, your future rolls to escape the jaguar are going to be severely penalized. Spending a Story Point lets a character ignore any damage he’s suffered for one roll – you use your full Attribute instead of its current, reduced value. This represents your character gritting his teeth and pushing himself to the limit.

Ignoring Bad Traits A lot of Bad Traits push you to act in a certain way – if you’re Forgetful or Impulsive, you’re prone to forgetting key facts or rushing in where the marines fear to tread. If you don’t act in accordance with such Bad Traits, you’ve got to pay Story Points.

Inspiring Others Characters can donate Story Points to each other to help them through a particularly major moment. This can be done in many ways, a dramatic and rousing speech, a word of encouragement or even a kiss. If it’s dramatic, moving, rousing and encouraging, and the other player is willing to share their Story Points to keep you going, then this sort of gaming should be encouraged. Players can also give Story Points to other players as a note of appreciation. If another player comes out with a really funny line, or saves your character’s life, or sets up a scene where you get to save the day, you can donate a Story Point as a gesture of appreciation.

Altering the Plot If you want to alter something in the game world indirectly, you may be able to buy your wish with Story Points. You could spend a Story Point to have help arrive in the nick of time, or to have something distract a hungry bear before it eats you. You could have an NPC fall in love with your character, or be mistaken for a new recruit by the villains’

Action! guards. You could have a ship turn up when you’re stranded on a remote island. The number of Story Points it takes to change the story is up to the gm. The one rule when it comes to altering the plot (apart from the usual rule about everything being ultimately up to the Gamemaster) is that you can’t use Story Points to save the day or solve a problem directly. For example, say you’re being held hostage in a derelict factory by a deranged madman. You couldn’t say ‘oh, a big piece of industrial machinery falls on top of him and squishes him before he can shoot us.’ However, you could say ‘gm, how many Story Points would it cost for there to be a big piece of industrial machinery that balanced precariously on that upper walkway? Something that would fall on the madman if I unexpectedly shove him into that supporting girder?’

STORY POINTS & NPCS Most non-player characters don’t have Story Points. They have to get by without the edge that comes with being the hero of the story. The exception are the villains. A ‘named’ bad guy gets a few Story Points at the GM’s discretion. “Bruiser” Malone, a known mob heavy, for example, has 3 Story Points – not as many as most player characters, but enough to make him a threat. The Crimson Claw has fistfuls of Story Points to make him a match for the entire group. You don’t need to be sentient to have Story Points, by the way. Recurring monsters and animals (like Saber, Siwang Lung’s pet wolf) could have a stock of Story Points too…

Completing Goals If your team completes goals, like breaking up spy-rings and recovering stolen treasures, that’s worth Story Points. Solving puzzles and finding a key clue that leads you to the next scene should also be rewarded.

Accepting Plot Twists Sometimes, the characters have very, very bad luck. The weird invention malfunctions at exactly the wrong moment. A stupid cop panics and takes a pot-shot at the escaped gorilla you just calmed down. The backup you called for is stuck in traffic and never arrives. You run out of ammo at just the wrong moment. The Femme Fatale slips away and escapes after saying something cryptic, even though you arranged for there to be six armed guards watching her at all times. If the Gamemaster screws the player characters over despite their best-laid plans and preparations, that’s worth a few Story Points in recompense. This doesn’t mean that the gm has to pay for every horrible event and dangerous situation the characters encounter – only when he pushes the characters into really nasty situations and gives them no chance to back out. You don’t get Story Points if you’re sent to capture a spy, but you might get a Story Point if the spy’s lethal girlfriend follows you home with mayhem in mind.

Helping Out

Gaining Story Points

Players who help out should be rewarded. Buying snacks for the group, keeping a record of events in the game, researching background details between game sessions, setting up a website for the game, carpooling, cleaning up afterward – throwing a few Story Points at players who go above and beyond is good practice.

The players can regain Story Points in lots of ways, at the whim of the Gamemaster.

Maximum Story Points

Good Role-playing Playing your character to the hilt, coming up with funny or inspiring lines of dialogue or great stunts, getting into interesting situations – if you’re having fun and helping everyone else at the table have fun too, then that should be rewarded with a few Story Points. Try to give everyone a chance to shine, keep everyone involved in the story, and play off other people’s characters. If one of the other player characters is an ex-soldier who’s job is to protect your scientist, then give her a chance to show off her character’s combat skills by bumbling into danger. Try to make the other players the hero of the show.

Embracing Bad Traits If your Bad Traits really impede you, you can claim a Story Point. Better, if you suggest ways your Bad Traits make your character’s life harder, that’s definitely worth Story Points.

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When the characters were created they were given a Story Point total - this is their maximum Story Points between adventures. As the adventure progresses, the character can hold more Story Points than this, though usually this is building up to a big expenditure at the story’s climax. When the adventure is over, the characters usually heal all their wounds, and if their Story Points are above their maximum, they are reduced back to the maximum level. If they have less than that, the Gamemaster will just replenish what they think is fitting depending upon how well they play.

Learning and Improvement While the Pulps weren’t known for character development, characters in pulp fantastic aren’t static – they can learn from their adventures and pick up new skills. Over time, if the Gamemaster allows it, the players can improve their character’s abilities. After each game session, each character gains one Experience Point (an especially generous gm might grant extra experience points after especially important game sessions or at the end of a big plot arc or season finale). 137

Pulp Fantastic

Attributes Attributes can be changed, but it takes a long time and plenty of hard work. Increasing an Attribute should be a noteworthy event, and takes several months of training and discipline. It costs (five + the Attribute’s current level) Experience Points to raise an Attribute. NEW ATTRIBUTE LEVEL

COST

2

6

3

7

4

8

5

9

6

10

RULES

Skills Basic skills can be picked up easily – a character gains one Experience Point after each game session. A new skill level costs an equal number of Experience Points. So, buying a new skill costs 1 point, raising a skill from level 1 to 2 costs two points, from 2 to 3 costs three points and so on. This means that it costs a whopping 21 (1+2+3+4+5+6) Experience Points to bring a skill up from scratch to 6. New Areas of Expertise cost 1 point each.

Traits In general, Traits shouldn’t be bought with Experience – they should be awarded based on events in game. However, if the gm agrees, players can buy new Minor Good Traits for two points each, and new Major Good Traits for four points each. Taking new Bad Traits doesn’t get you bonus Experience Points. The gm may allow you to buy off some existing Bad Traits with experience.

Story Points You can raise your Maximum Story Points with experience, at the cost of 2 Experience Points per added Story Point.

Leaving the Game Eventually, every character leaves the game. Sometimes, it will be the best possible ending for the character – you’ve told their story, they have accomplished what they set out to do, they accomplish something wonderful and heroic with their final action, or you just want to play something else. Other characters die when you really want them to survive – you spend every Story Point, you fight every step of the way, but it’s still not enough and the bad guys get them. And that’s okay – if there wasn’t a risk of defeat, victory wouldn’t mean anything in the game.

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THE STORY POINT ECONOMY The Gamemaster should keep an eye on the players’ Story Point stockpiles. If the players have lots of Story Points, then they can handle big challenges and added complications. If they’ve got few or no Story Points, they’re in danger of being overwhelmed, and it’s a good idea to give them a breather from the action. Use Story Points as a guide for pacing the game. Build up to an extended action sequence where the PCs spend most of their Story Points, then throw in a quiet interlude where the characters find a place to hide, take stock of their situation and role-play to earn some points back, and then hit them with the final threat.

Getting Killed If a character is reduced to zero in three Attributes, he is in big trouble and is probably dead, especially if one of those Attributes is Strength. The Gamemaster has the final word, of course. Characters can also be killed by other means – if someone’s holding a gun to your head, and they pull the trigger, don’t bother arguing that the gun does a maximum of 10 damage and you’ve got Strength 6 and Resolve 6. Some situations override the usual rules.

Forced to Leave Circumstances may force your character to give up adventuring. Maybe your superiors kick you out, or everyone suspects you of being in league with the enemy. Maybe you get trapped in a Lost World, or possessed by a sentient parasite, or brainwashed by an Evil Mastermind. If your character can’t be part of the Group Framework any more, it’s time to go. It’s a bad idea to have two ‘groups’ of player characters for an indefinite period – if your character can’t work with the group, it’s time for that character to leave and you to make up a new one. (It’s okay to have the group split for a few sessions, but that does not work in the long term.)

Choosing to Leave Your character may choose to leave the game, becoming a non-player character. Give the character sheet to the gm – the character may come back as a special guest in a future adventure! Talk to the gm if you want to bring an old character back to the game.

Chapter 8 Equipment

T

he Pulp Era is an age of ingenuity and wild invention, where the fantastic dreams of the future seemed on the verge of becoming real. Pulp heroes equip themselves with a wide array of cunning technology, and the villains do likewise. The miracles of modern science and the ancient wisdom of distant lands hold the promise of great advances for humanity, and the threat of great power for those with the will to seize it. This chapter details some of the equipment used by heroic adventurer and despicable mastermind alike, giving you the tools to explore dangers as far away as lost lands and as close as the bad side of town.

Trappings vs Group Traits

There are three ways to obtain equipment in pulp fantastic – through your Trappings, through Group Traits, and getting it in the course of play. Trappings are things your character owns. You get them by having the appropriate skills – a character with a Transport skill of 3 or more has a car, a character with a Technology of 3 or more has a toolkit, a character with a Marksman skill of 3 or more has a gun and so on. They’re stuff you happen to have on you, or can easily lay your hands on. Trappings are limited to Uncommon items in general. If your Trapping is destroyed, it’s gone forever. Your car, for example, is a Trapping; you own it, but if it gets stepped on by an over-sized gorilla during a rampage in New York, it’s out of the game. Group Traits like Armory or Vehicle Pool give you items you can requisition. These items belong to your organization – you can only use them on an official mission, and they’re not for personal use. If an item obtained through a Group Trait is destroyed, you can get a replacement by returning to your base. Finally, you can obtain items in the course of play by buying them, finding them, stealing them or being given them.

Obtaining Equipment One thing you won’t find in this equipment chapter are prices. Instead, equipment is ranked as being Common, Uncommon, Rare or Unique. Common items are easy to obtain. You can buy them on

the high street or order them by mail. You can get Common items without any problems. Note that this doesn’t mean they’re cheap, just that getting hold of one is easy. For example, cars are Common. That doesn’t mean that they don’t cost money; it means that a character can borrow a car off a friend or relative easily if he needs one. Uncommon items are available, but only through specialized dealers. If your character has an appropriate trait (like the right Friends), or the necessary skills (an Area of Expertise in the relevant field), or if you’ve got the necessary backing through Group Traits (like, say, you’re working for the government), then you can get Uncommon items without too much difficulty. If you don’t have an appropriate way of getting the item, then you’re in trouble. A lot of Uncommon items are dangerous and restricted, so you may not be able to obtain them legally if you’re a civilian. Rare items are either very expensive, cutting-edge gadgets, or very hard to find. Getting a Rare item requires having the right Group Trait (Armory for weapons, Motor Pool for vehicles and so on) or finding a way to get one during an adventure. All Weird Technology is at least Rare. Unless the gm specifically allows it, you can’t get Weird Technology except by inventing it yourself or finding it in play. Unique items are literally one of a kind. Getting a Unique item means having the right Base Trait or finding it in play, or building it yourself.

General Equipment This section covers the wide variety of general gear available to adventurers of all sorts. General equipment mostly does not need any special rules. Players are free to equip their characters with whatever they think they are likely to need in the form of tools, clothes, personal effects, and other sundry items. Generally these do not affect Skill or Attribute rolls in any way, though they may be necessary for the effective use of some skills. For example, repairing an engine without a proper toolkit is difficult and should be performed at a penalty, and treating a wound without a first aid kit likewise. Attempting a complex Skill without the proper tools should be done with a -2 or more penalty applied to the roll. Certain items of equipment, such as any high (or Weird)

Pulp Fantastic technology or arcane artifacts, will have Traits. These are usually obvious, but the Gamemaster makes the final decision on the capabilities of any mundane equipment, though the expenditure of Story Points to get minor things to work should be allowed. Note that any device that uses batteries comes with them. As a general rule, ignore battery life—assume that heroes (and their antagonists) are smart enough to recharge or replace their batteries between adventures, and that the batteries last as long as needed during adventures, only running down when dramatically appropriate.

Equipment That’s Not Listed

RULES

pulp fantastic takes place in our world of the 1920’s and 1930’s...more or less (assuming you don’t decide to create a truly fantastic pulp world). If you want a piece of equipment that exists in the real world, but isn’t listed, talk to your gm.

BUYING USED For some objects, a character can try to go the cheaper route and buy used. Used car lots, used book stores, second-hand and refurbished electronic equipment shops, pawn shops— all these establishments and more offer deals on previously owned goods. In general, only Uncommon items get a price break if you can find them used. Common items don’t receive a price break if you find them in used condition. Whether you can find an object to purchase used instead of new is entirely up to the Gamemaster. Except for purchasing a used car, finding other objects through a used market takes time and a bit of luck. Shopping for a used object takes twice as long as shopping for the same object new. In addition, after spending the time shopping, the GM can determine that the exact item you were searching for isn’t available. You might find a similar object, or you might not find anything like it at any of the used outlets you’ve checked out.

For most items, there’s no need for a player to declare that they have that particular piece of equipment in advance. If it’s part of the Trappings from your skills, or you’ve got the right Group Trait, or it’s the sort of thing your character would always carry with you thanks to an Instinct, then you’re assumed to have it when you’re investigating Anomalies. For example, the player of a big game hunter doesn’t need to tell the gm that he’s taking a hunting rifle with him every time he leaves the country – it’s always assumed to be in his travel chest. If an item is something you might have with you, but it’s a stretch, you can spend Story Points to have it, as long as you can justify it to the gm. If the big game hunter goes for a night at the Stork Club, he’s not going to bring a hunting rifle with him – but he might have a derringer in his pocket, just in case! Losing equipment is a bigger problem. A lot of Yes, But... successes may involve losing key bits of gear. Some skills cannot be used without the appropriate equipment.

OPTIONAL RULE: PLANNING Some GMs and players prefer a more traditional approach to equipment, where the player characters have only basic equipment on them by default. If a player wants to have an elephant gun and some Nitro Express cartridges, then he has to say he’s going down to the gun room to get them instead of just assuming he got them ‘off-screen’. Using stricter equipment rules puts more of an emphasis on planning and preparation instead of fast action.

Improvising Equipment

Buying used doesn’t negate the penalties and fees associated with buying restricted objects or objects that require a license.

If you’re stuck on a dinosaur-infested South American plateau, of course, you’re unlikely to find a handy branch of Sears. The Craft skill can be used to improvise basic equipment and to build shelter. To use the Craft skill, you need the appropriate tools, but you can build improvised tools out of basic materials in a pinch.

If you do find a used item, and the Gamemaster agrees that it qualifies for a price break, it is reduced by 1 rank (i.e. from Rare to Uncommon, and Uncommon to Common).

You can also improvise modern equipment, turning your radio receiver into an ad hoc tracking system. Improvising modern gear uses the Technology skill.

Used objects are harder to repair if something breaks or is damaged. Whenever a used object requires a Repair check, increase the Ingenuity + Technology roll Difficulty by 2.

When using improvised equipment, any ‘Yes, But’, or ‘No, And’ results probably mean that your improvised gear has broken.

Remember that buying something used is different from buying something on the black market. While a hot object might be used, it is sold as though it was new.

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You Have It Until You Need It…

Equipment

Weapons It’s a dangerous world out there, especially for those who make a living fighting criminals or enemy agents. Most heroes carry weapons, ranging from baseball bats to Thompson submachine guns. The weapons covered here are grouped into three categories based on their general utility: ranged weapons, explosives, and melee weapons. In the pulp world, carrying a weapon openly—especially a firearm—is rarely acceptable, even in the rare cases when it’s legal.

Guns Since this is a cinematic-styled game designed for fast play, we are not going to get into the nuts and bolts of varying gun calibers. When one starts worrying about the difference between 9mm and 9x18mm pistols, it is easy to lose sight of the more important aspects of play – action and drama. Thus, we break guns down into general categories instead of specific calibers and loads. Guns have an additional statistic called a range increment. This represents the weapon’s accuracy at different ranges, expressed in meters. Pistols, for example, have range increments of 5/10/20, meaning up to 5 meters is short range, up to 10 is medium range, and up to 20 is long range. Weapons can generally fire a maximum distance up to twice their maximum range, after which it is difficult enough to hit that it is pointless to check for success. For each range increment, a gun suffers a cumulative -2 to hit its target, plus an additional -2 beyond its long range. Thus, a pistol suffers no penalty up to 5 meters, -2 out to 10 meters, -4 to 20 meters, and -6 up to 40 meters away, after which it is impossible to hit a target. Some guns impose a penalty to your dice roll if you try to fire more than once per round, due to recoil. This is in addition to the penalty for making more than one action in a round (see page 123) The categories and sub-categories of guns are as follows:

Pistols Pistols are small, hand-held weapons that come in a variety of shapes and sizes from tiny palm-sized derringers to sleek semi-automatic jobs, to imposing revolvers with 30-cm barrels. They have a shorter accuracy range than rifles, but are much faster to use, less unwieldy to carry, and far easier to conceal. Handguns can be broken down into three smaller groups: autoloaders, revolvers, and machine pistols. Autoloaders (sometimes called “automatics”), such as the Colt M1911 (the venerable .45 pistol), feature removable box magazines, and some models hold quite a lot of ammunition. They work by using the energy of a shot fired to throw back a slide, eject the shot’s shell casing, and

scoop the next round into the chamber. They are more complex than revolvers, but nevertheless have become increasingly popular in the modern age. Revolvers, such as the .38 Special side-arms carried by many police officers, are relatively simple firearms that store several rounds (usually six) in a revolving cylinder. As the trigger is pulled, the cylinder revolves to bring the next bullet in line with the barrel. Machine pistols are automatic weapons small enough to be fired with one hand. Some are autoloader pistols modified to fire a burst of bullets in a single pull of the trigger, while others are modified submachine guns, cut down in size and weight to allow one-handed use. Ranged weapons that use box magazines come with one full magazine.

AMMUNITION It’s entirely up to you how strictly you want to keep tabs on how much ammunition characters have in their weapons. Some people prefer a light touch – maybe only running out of ammunition when it adds to the story or they make a spectacularly bad roll. Others like to carefully manage their ammo expenditure, and it can add tension when they run low as the cultists close on their position... You don’t need to track individual shots. Results of ‘Yes, But’... or ‘No, And...’ could indicate that you’ve run out of ammo and need to reload (‘Yes, you hit the robot with your first shot, but the hammer clicks on an empty chamber when you try to fire again.’). Reloading a gun takes an action for most weapons.

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The ammunition that different weapons hold is presented here as an ‘average’ for a weapon of that type. If your players have done some homework on specific guns, by all means use the information that they have found.

OPTION: MERCY BULLETS Many science heroes and adventurers prefer to use non-lethal weapons. One option is to use tranquilizing “mercy bullets”. Mercy bullets deliver an impact similar to a quick punch and will leave a bruise, but inflict no actual physical damage. Instead the damage for the weapon is applied to the target’s Resolve. See page 131 to determine the difficulty to resist the drug’s effect. Range Increments: All pistols, regardless of their subclass, have range increments (in meters) of 5/10/20. Holdout Pistol – tiny pistols that hold .22 calibre ammunition and do more shock than actual damage. While these guns do very little real damage, they also have no appreciable recoil. These guns hold from one (single-shot derringers) to seven (revolver) to fifteen (automatic pistol) shots, and are generally double-action, meaning the gun can be fired as many times as the trigger can be pulled. The character can empty the weapon in a single Round if he or she chooses. Examples include: 141

Pulp Fantastic Double Derringer - This pistol breaks open at the breech like a double-barreled shotgun. The two-shot weapon has one barrel atop the other and is barely 5 inches long, making it easy to conceal in a boot or garter.

Colt M1911A1 - A slightly modified version of the pistol adopted by the American army in 1911, this weapon’s .45 round gives it more stopping power than any other pistol in service.

Pocket Revolver - Designed as a weapon of self-defense, this small revolver is a popular personal weapon, though never as popular as the Derringer.

Tokarev Model TT33 - Designed as a replacement for the Nagant, the Tokarev is based on the Colt M1911. Because the Soviets favor mass produced submachine guns, the Tokarev never becomes an especially common weapon in the Red Army. The same statistics can be used for similar weapons, such as the Polish Radom (a 9mm pistol) and the German Walther P38 (also 9mm).

Small Pistol – any snub-nose weapon, such as an American Saturday Night Special, or snub-nose police revolver, usually in .32 to .38 calibres. Most guns in this category are small revolvers, limited to six or seven shots, and have light recoil. These guns deal normal damage and can be fired multiple times in a Round, with each additional shot imparting a -1 cumulative penalty from recoil.

RULES

Beretta M1934 - The standard side-arm of the Italian army through the Italian-Abyssinian War (1935-36), the Beretta M1934 has a short barrel and underpowered ammunition, resulting in its low damage capability. Walther Model PP - The Walther, designed as a replacement for the Luger, is widely issued to German forces in the 1930s. The Swedish army also purchases Walthers in 1939. Medium Pistol – standard police and military side arms in 9mm to .40 caliber size, holding 10-15 rounds. These guns can be fired multiple times but each additional shot after the first imparts a -2 cumulative penalty from recoil. Nagant Model 1895 - This Russian revolver is used in the time of the Russian Revolution and beyond. Luger P08 Pistol - This is the famous weapon of German officers in the Great War. Large Pistol – guns like the U.S. Colt Army Revolver or Russian Tokarov TT-33, from .45 to 7.62 caliber in size and holding 6-10 rounds. Like a normal Medium Pistol, but deals higher damage with additional shots imparting -3 cumulative penalties from the recoil. Period examples include; Browning High Power - Originally manufactured in Belgium, the Browning High Power is used by military forces around the world: Lithuania, Canada, Germany, China, and Britain, among others. Its large magazine capacity makes it particularly popular. Mauser “Broomhandle” - This popular, if slightly awkward, pistol has the magazine mounted in front of the trigger, making it somewhat nose-heavy. Its nickname comes from the narrow grip. A stock can be mounted to the grip, counterbalancing the magazine. 142

Hand Cannon – guns in this category include .357 Magnums (introduced in 1934) or .50 caliber pistols. They hold 6-7 rounds. They deal a lot of damage, with additional shots imparting -4 cumulative penalties on top of the usual multiple action penalty. The recoil from these enormous pistols is enough to make you black out for a split second. These guns may be fired a maximum of twice per Round. Examples include; Colt Peacemaker - The most famous weapon of the Old West, the Peacemaker is widely available, powerful, and rugged. The same characteristics could also describe similar weapons of different calibers, such as the .38 caliber Colt Lightning or Thunder. Tranter - This huge British single-action revolver, developed in 1865, was designed to discourage opponents from approaching for close-quarters combat, turned up in all corners of the British Empire, even though few were made.

Equipment Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum – Developed in response to the Colt .38 Super Automatic, this famous revolver was designed to be able to penetrate automobile cover and early “bullet proof” vests. Smith & Wesson 38/200 - Called a .38, this revolver is Smith & Wesson’s standard Military and Police .38, but chambered to take the British .38 cartridge—which actually measures .357 inches. While technically this weapon wasn’t available until 1940 (after the scope of this game) it could be possible that characters with access to advanced weaponry may have the pistol in their possession.

Shotguns and Rifles Rifles have a much longer accuracy range than pistols do, but are a lot more obvious, awkward, and less portable. Unless the rifle is set and aimed already (as with a prepared sniper), a character with a pistol will always shoot before a character with a rifle. Shotguns have much shorter ranges, but have the drawback of being large and awkward like rifles. Range Increments: Shotguns have pistol range increments. All other rifles have Range increments of 25/50/150. Rifle – These are hunting rifles of the bolt, pump, or lever-action variety. They hold 2-8 rounds, and can fire a maximum of three times per round. Each attack after the first imparts a cumulative -3 penalty. Period examples include the Winchester Models 1903 and 1910, and the Remington Arms M1903 Springfield. Mannlicher-Parravicino-Carcano Carbine M1891 - The Italian army uses this weapon during the Great War. The Japanese Arisaka Meiji 38 is almost identical, except for its smaller magazine (5 rounds) and greater weight (10 pounds). Springfield M1903 - This American rifle is licensed from an earlier Mauser bolt-action rifle. The same statistics can be used for later Mausers such as the Gewehr 43 or the Sturmgewehr 44. Lee-Enfield SMLE MkIII – The British Army’s standard rifle from 1895 to 1957. Mosin-Nagant M1891/30 - The standard bolt-action rifle of the Soviet Red Army through the pulp era. Nearly the same statistics can be used for modified versions of the M1930G, such as the M1938G. Big Game Rifle – This is an elephant gun or other big, heavy rifle. Expensive, but very accurate and long-ranged, plus it can stop a charging rhino. Guns like this are Uncommon. Classic examples from the Pulp Era are the Continental .600 and the Holland & Holland .500/450 Nitro Express, both designed to stop a charging bull-elephant. Shotgun – be it a double-barrel 20-gauge or a pump-action 12-gauge, all shotguns fall into this category. Shotguns firing slugs deal high damage, but are -1 to hit due to the difficulty aiming, while shotguns firing buckshot (lots of little pellets) gain +1 to hit a target, but deals less

damage. Shotguns can be fired a maximum of twice per round (except for semi-automatic models) and subsequent shots suffer a -3 penalty due to recoil. Double-barreled shotguns can fire both barrels simultaneously with no penalty, adding an additional +1 to hit and an additional 2 points of damage, but require a full Round to reload afterward. Standard shotguns hold 2 cartridges, pump-action or automatic shotguns hold 2-10. Assault Rifle – During the Pulp Era, assault rifles were in their earliest stages of development and were Rare, though characters with access to advanced weapons technology may be able to find them. An example of an early assault rifle is the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle. Assault rifles can fire in three modes. In semi-automatic mode, they fire a single aimed shot. In Burst mode, the gun fires three bullets in rapid succession. The wielder makes an attack roll as normal. A Success means they have hit once, a Good means they have hit twice and a Fantastic result means they have hit with all three bullets – each doing the normal ‘Good’ level of damage. A second or third burst can be attempted in the same round, but each suffers a cumulative -4 penalty in addition to the usual multiple action penalty. In fully automatic mode, the wielder cannot aim. He simply selects an area of up to a 90° arc in his line of vision and showers it with bullets. He then makes a standard attack roll. Everyone in the area gets a chance to dive for cover with a +2 bonus to the roll. If anyone fails to dodge into cover then they take damage as usual depending on the severity of their failure. Firing full auto takes the entire Round; affecting a 45° arc uses half a clip of ammunition and affecting a 90-degree arc uses the entire clip. A clip usually contains 10-100 rounds.

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Machine guns Machine guns are large, dangerous weapons used to inflict mass carnage. They are always mounted on bipods or tripods and cannot be fired on the move unless by characters with Strength 6 or more. Using a machine gun is identical to using an Assault Rifle on full auto, save that machine guns deal more damage, and smaller arcs of fire can be better controlled. A 45° arc uses one-half of an ammo clip or belt, and a 90° arc uses an entire clip or belt. A clip holds up to 100 rounds; belts hold thousands of rounds, but aren’t very portable. Smaller or in-between arcs of fire may be possible at the Gamemaster’s discretion. Range Increments: Machine guns were actually used in WWI and to a lesser extent in WWII as anti-aircraft weapons and thus have range increments equal to twice that of rifles. Period examples include; Maxim Gun Mk 1 - The first automatic machine gun, the Maxim gun is portable enough to see widespread military use. A .450 caliber version of this gun was developed in 1885, but the British army’s adoption of the weapon in 1889 contributed to its great success. The Maxim gun is water-cooled. 143

Pulp Fantastic Colt-Browning M1895 - This early gas-operated machine gun is colloquially called the “potato digger,” because the movement of the gun’s levers sometimes kicks up loose dirt from the ground. Its light weight and portability compensate for its relatively slow rate of fire compared to its main competitor, the Maxim. Browning M1917 - This medium machine gun is used by the U.S. Army at the end of the Great War. It is water-cooled, though an air-cooled version is issued to infantry (as the M1919A4) in the 1920s. The Browning M1918 Automatic Rifle uses the same statistics, except that it has a small (20-round) magazine instead of using linked ammo. Browning M2HB - Originally designed as an aircraft weapon, the Browning is adopted by the U.S. Army in 1921.

Sub-machine Guns RULES

Sub-Machine guns are somewhere between pistols and machine guns. They look cool, but are not weapons of precision. Typically they can fire in two modes. In Burst mode, the gun fires three bullets in rapid succession. The wielder makes an attack roll as normal. A Success means they have hit once, a Good means they have hit twice and a Fantastic result means they have hit with all three bullets – each doing the normal ‘Good’ level of damage. A second or third burst can be attempted in the same round, but each suffers a cumulative -4 penalty in addition to the usual multiple action penalty. In fully automatic mode, the wielder cannot aim accurately. He simply selects an area of up to a 90° arc in his line of vision and showers it with bullets. He then makes a standard attack roll. Everyone in the area gets a chance to dive for cover with a +2 bonus to the roll. If anyone fails to dodge into cover then they take damage as usual depending on the severity of their failure. Firing full auto takes the entire Round; affecting a 45° arc uses half a clip of ammunition and affecting a 90-degree arc uses the entire clip. A clip usually contains 10-100 rounds. Generally, they can only fire fully automatic like assault rifles, but have the range of pistols. They hold clips of 10-50 rounds. Generally submachine guns are Uncommon or Rare. Period examples include; Thompson M1921 Submachine Gun - The famous “Tommy gun” of American gangsters is one of the first hand-held weapons capable of automatic fire. Its large-caliber bullets give it greater damage potential than many more modern submachine guns, although at a shorter range. Beretta M1938A - Primarily an Italian weapon, the Model 1938A is also issued to some Rumanian and German troops. The same statistics can be used for similar submachine guns, such as the Erma MP38/40, the Sten Mark 2, the Shpagin PPSh-41 (7.62mm), or the Sudarev PPS-42 (also 7.62mm).

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Waffenfabrik Steyr Maschinenpistol 34 (MP34) – Developed in 1934 from the MP18, which saw limited service in the Great War, this exceptionally well-made submachine gun was used by the Austrian police and by units of the Waffen SS during World War II.

Beam Weapons Beam weapons are weird technology devices that project an oscillating beam of directed energy. Usually derived from principles discovered from recovered Martian armament, beam weapons are extremely rare and qualify as weird technology. They’re fragile, power-hungry, temperamental, and incredibly expensive. So far, no-one has found a way to mass produce them, and knowledge of them remains extremely limited. Tesla Pistol – Named after the noted inventor, the Tesla pistol transmits a massive electrical charge to the target. Most “Tesla Pistols” don’t pack enough punch to do much damage, instead producing an effect similar to a modern taser. They aren’t subtle weapons, producing a vivid blue flash of electricity and a loud crackle when fired. Tesla Rifle – A bulkier version of the Tesla pistol, the Tesla rifle has an extended range and battery life, but does no more damage. Tesla Cannon – This large tripod-mounted weapon is the only Tesla gun that does Lethal damage, with the effects being described as being similar to being struck by a massive bolt of lightning. Martian Heat Ray – The signature weapon of the Martian invader, the dreaded heat ray is still a potent weapon. With a seemingly inexhaustible (and still unfathomed) energy source, heat rays have been found in the possession of criminals and military forces all over the world. Still, functional heat rays are rare – many exploded with shattering force when being probed for their secrets. Martian heat rays are bulky devices about the size of a man, designed to be mounted on the tripod walkers, and need to be adapted for human use by the use of a tripod and a man-usable trigger system.

Sniper Rifles Sniper weapons allow the shooter to remain at a relatively safe distance, using high-powered telescopic sights and long-range weaponry. The sniper usually holes up in a location that gives him the best possible view over the proceedings, taking shots of opportunity when possible. At this point in history, most sniper rifles were simply standard rifles fitted with a telescopic sight, rather than the specialized sniper rifles of today. Modern sniper rifles have a very long range, and can deliver very high amounts of damage but at this point in time qualify as Weird Tech. Period examples include; Lee-Enfield SMLE MkIII – The British Army’s standard rifle from 1895 to 1957, when modified with a heavy stock and telescopic sight became a highly effective sniper rifle.

RANGED WEAPON SUMMARY

Equipment

WEAPON

RANGE INCREMENTS (IN METRES)

AMMUNITION

DAMAGE

RECOIL

Holdout Pistol

5/10/20

1-15

1/2/3

0

Small Pistol

5/10/20

6-7

2/4/6

-1

Medium Pistol

5/10/20

10-15

2/5/7

-2

Large Pistol

3/6/9

6-10

2/5/7

-3

Hand Cannon

3/7/9

6-7

3/6/9

-4

Shotgun (Slug)

4/8/12

2-10

3/7/10

-3

Shotgun (Shot)

3/6/12

2-10

3/6/9

-3

Rifle

24/48/146

2-8

3/6/9

-3

Big Game Rifle

65/130/390

2-8

4/8/12

-5

Assault Rifle

24/48/146

10-100

3/6/9

-4

Machine Gun

160/320/960

Belt Fed

3/7/10

-4

Submachine Gun

3/6/12

10-50

2/5/7

-4

Sniper Rifle (Period)

49/98/293

2-8

3/6/9

-3

Sniper Rifle (Modern)

198/396/793

1-5

4/8/12

NA

Tesla Pistol

5/10/20

10-15

S/S/S

0

Tesla Rifle

24/48/146

10-20

S/S/S

0

Tesla Cannon

49/98/293

10-20

4/L/L

0

Martian Heat Ray

200/400/800

NA

10/20/30

0

SNIPING AND AIMING Any character can choose to aim their weapon for longer to try to be more accurate with their shooting. For a complete Action Round, the shooter does nothing else but aim. They cannot dodge, move or take any other action without negating the effects of trying to aim. If an enemy hits them, they are distracted and lose their aim. If they manage to spend an entire Action Round with uninterrupted aiming, they make a normal Coordination and Marksman roll as if they had taken the shot, but instead they make a note of what they roll. The better they did this time, the bigger the bonus they get on their actual shot. A Success provides a +2 bonus, a Good result a +4 bonus and a Fantastic a +6 bonus to the actual roll to hit the next Round. They can shoot at any time next Action Round and receive the respective bonus to their roll. A character with the Sniper trait can aim for more than one Action Round. If they can remain uninterrupted, they can add an additional bonus from a second Round’s worth of aiming. They can continue to aim longer, but only the bonus from the most recent two Rounds of aiming are added to the actual shot – targets keep moving around, can disappear behind cover and the sniper’s advantage can be lost.

Springfield M1903 - This American rifle is licensed from an earlier Mauser bolt-action rifle. The same statistics can be used for later Mausers such as the Gewehr 43 or the Sturmgewehr 44.

8

Mauser Gehwehr 98 – The main German infantry bolt-action combat rifle during the Great War. When modified with telescopic sights and a modified bolt, this became one of the most effective sniper weapons of the war.

Telescopic Sight A telescopic sight is a device that makes it easier to hit targets at long range. However, although a scope magnifies the image of the target, it has a very limited field of view, making it difficult to use. A scope increases the range increment for a ranged weapon by two (this is already built in for sniper rifles, below). However, to use a scope you must spend an attack action acquiring your target. If you change targets or otherwise lose sight of the target, you must reacquire the target to gain the benefit of the scope.

Other Ranged Weapons Ranged weapons that are not firearms include such diverse objects as bows, crossbows, javelins and shuriken. Bow: This could be any form of self-powered bow, from traditional longbows to modern compound designs. Bow hunting remains popular with hunters, athletes, and other recreationists. A bow does 2/4/6 damage. Common. 145

Pulp Fantastic

RULES

Crossbow: The medieval crossbow was a devastatingly effective weapon for its time, but a modern crossbow is even more dangerous. Crossbows are slow to reload, but have the advantage of being completely silent. Crossbows are Uncommon. They inflict 2/4/6 damage. A crossbow requires two hands to use. Pulling a lever draws the bow. It takes two Action Rounds to reload a crossbow. Flamethrower: A flamethrower consists of a pressurized backpack containing fuel, connected to a tube with a nozzle. It shoots a 2m-wide, 10m-long line of flame that burns all creatures and objects in its path. Flamethrowers aren’t exactly the most accurate weapon, but they’re great for dealing with Swarms of small creatures or for scaring creatures – including people - that are afraid of fire. They’re also good for setting yourself alight if you’re not careful. A flamethrower attack does variable damage (1 die/2 dice/3 dice), but combatants who dodge a flamethrower attack have to dodge away from you, giving you a breathing space. If you dodge a flame attack with Coordination + Athletics, the only place to dodge is away from the flame so you can’t attack the flamethrower operator without moving again. Javelin: This light, flexible spear built for throwing can be used in melee, but since it’s not designed for it, characters using it in this manner always suffer –2 to hit. Javelins do Strength +3 damage. Uncommon. Shuriken: A shuriken is a thrown, star-shaped projectile with four to eight razor-sharp points and does Strength +2 damage. Uncommon. Whip: Whips do Strength + 1 damage. Although you don’t “fire” the weapon, treat a whip as a ranged weapon with a maximum range of 4 metres. Uncommon. Because a whip can wrap around an enemy’s leg or other limb, you can attempt to trip or entangle them with it. You declare this when making the attack. To avoid being tripped or entangled, the target must make a successful Coordination + Athletics reaction roll. Failure indicates the target has been either tripped or entangled and must spend their next Action either untangling themselves or getting to their feet. Either way, they lose an Action and cannot move until they have freed themselves. Caltrops: Caltrops are four-pronged iron spikes designed so that one prong is pointing up when the caltrop rests on a surface. You scatter caltrops on the ground to injure opponents, or at least slow them down. One bag of twenty-five caltrops covers a single two metre square and can be thrown, bursting open on impact. Each time a creature moves through a square containing caltrops at any rate greater than half speed, or each round a creature spends fighting in such an area, they must make a Difficulty 12 Coordination + Awareness check to avoid stepping on one. Should they fail the roll, a caltrop deals 1 point of damage, and the injury reduces foot speed to half normal (a successful Difficultly 12 Awareness + Medicine check, or one day’s rest removes this penalty). A charging or running creature must immediately stop if it steps on a caltrop. Caltrops are Uncommon. 146

Melee Weapons Melee weapons are used in close combat, and they are generally among the simplest types of weapons. Knife: A small boot-knife or straight-razor does Strength +1 damage; a really nasty one like a cleaver does +2 or even +3 damage. Knives are Common. Cosh: A truncheon, or club; ideal for coshing or clubbing people. Strength +2 damage; you can make Called Shots to the head without a penalty if you take someone by surprise with a cosh. Coshes are Common. Sap/Blackjack: A sap is a type of cosh, consisting of either a flat, leather-covered lead rod fitted with a spring handle, while a blackjack is a small, soft club made of an amount of lead shot wrapped in leather. Both are designed to deliver non-lethal clubbing damage by spreading the impact over a broad area, and are used when the intention is to stun the target into unconsciousness rather than kill him outright. Saps deliver Strength +2 Resolve damage. Saps and blackjacks are common. Knuckledusters: Brass knuckledusters let you punch for Strength +1 damage. They’re Common. Spear: This primitive device is a stabbing reach weapon and does Strength – 2 damage. You can strike opponents 3 metres away with it, but you can’t use it in close combat without a -2 penalty to hit. Rifle-fixed bayonets can also be classed as spears. Spears are Uncommon. Sword: Katanas, claymores, machetes, really big knives— anything that lets you chop and slice for Strength +4 damage. Real swords (as opposed to replicas and ornamental weapons) are Uncommon. Axe: A chopping blade mounted on a handle to increase damage, axes start at Strength + 2 damage for hatchets and tomahawks, increasing to +3 for fire-axes and +4 for battle-axes. Common. Chainsaw: Not exactly a conventional weapon; a chainsaw does Strength +6 damage, but there’s a -4 penalty to hit, and you run the risk of hurting yourself if you get a Disastrous Failure. Chainsaws are large, unwieldy and Uncommon during the Pulp Era.

Explosives Mines, rockets, grenades and other explosives do damage to an area. Anyone inside the listed radius takes full damage; anyone close by but not inside the radius takes ½ damage. Land Mine: Step on it, and it goes boom. Spotting a land mine pits Awareness + Survival against Ingenuity + Subterfuge on the part of whoever planted it, with big penalties to those spotting it if time has passed and the surface is now overgrown. If a mine goes off, it inflicts 2 dice + 6 damage to everyone within about 2 metres. Mines are Rare.

Equipment Rocket Launcher: Though the classic bazooka didn’t officially come into service until 1942, characters with access to advanced weapons technology could come across a prototype shoulder-mounted anti-tank weapon. Rocket launchers inflict 20/40/60 damage, and are very, very Rare. Characters should not be using rocket launchers in public. Or in cramped spaces. Or at all. Maximum range is around 365 metres, with an explosive radius of 3 metres. Panzerfaust: A hand-held, single-shot, shaped-charge anti-tank weapon, easily manufactured and designed to be cheap, one-use weapons to be used with little training. The Panzerfaust has an effective range of just over 60 metres. When the Panzerfaust hits its target, it explodes like a grenade or other explosive, inflict 9/18/36 damage within a 3 metre radius. Because its explosive is a shaped charge designed to penetrate the armor of tanks, the Panzerfaust ignores up to 10 points of armor protection if it a vehicle, building or object. This applies only to the object struck, not other objects within the burst radius. Rare in this era. Smoke Grenade: Throwing a grenade uses Coordination + Athletics; a smoke grenade fills a room or a small building with thick smoke. Trying to do anything while blinded is worth a -4 penalty at least. Smoke grenades are Uncommon. Tear Gas Grenade: Like a smoke grenade, but also painful. If you’re caught in a tear gas cloud without a gas mask, you have to roll Resolve + Awareness each Round against Difficulty 18; if you fail, you take one point of damage to your Awareness or your Resolve. Resisting a tear gas grenade counts as a Reaction, so you’ll be at -2 to your next roll made that round. Tear gas grenades are Uncommon. Stun Grenade: Stun grenades don’t inflict much damage, but they knock their victims out briefly. If you’re hit by a stun grenade, you must make a Strength + Resolve roll against a Difficulty of 12/18/24 (work out the difficulty like you’d work out the damage for a normal attack). If you fail, you’re knocked out for 1 round on a Normal Failure, 1 - 6 rounds on a Bad Failure, and 2 dice rounds on a Disastrous Failure.) Stun grenades have an explosive radius of three metres. Explosive Grenade: You throw them, they go boom, bad guys fall down. Explosive grenades have an explosive radius of 3 metres, and inflict 8/16/24 damage if the targets fail to dodge. Explosive grenades are Rare. Pulp era examples are the standard US Army fragmentation grenade and the well-known German “potato-masher” Steilhandgranate. Dynamite: Perhaps one of the most common and straightforward explosives, dynamite is very stable under normal conditions. A stick of dynamite requires a fuse or detonator to set it off. Additional sticks can be set off at the same time if they are within the burst radius of the first stick, increasing the damage and burst radius of the explosion. Dynamite does 2/5/7 per stick in a 2 metre radius. Each additional stick multiplies the damage (i.e. 2 sticks deal 2/5/7 x 2 damage, 3 sticks do 2/5/7 x 3 damage, and so on) and increase the explosive radius by 2 metres.

It’s possible to wire together several sticks of dynamite for even greater explosive effect. Doing so requires a Tricky (Difficulty 15) Ingenuity + Technology check (+ 1 Difficulty per stick). If you succeed on the check, both the damage and the radius of the explosion increases by 50%. Dynamite is sold in boxes of 12 sticks. It is considered to be a simple explosive for the purpose of using a Science check to manufacture it. To set off dynamite using a fuse, the fuse must first be lit, requiring an Action (and a lighter or other source of flame). The amount of time until the dynamite explodes depends on the length of the fuse—a fuse can be cut short enough for the dynamite to detonate in the same round (allowing it to be used much like a grenade), or long enough to take several minutes to detonate. Cutting the fuse to the appropriate length requires an Action.

Armor Heavy armor is bulky and slows you down, and really won’t help if you’re run over by a tank. Still, a bit of protection never goes amiss. Armor only protects against attacks that hit the part of the body it protects – wearing a helmet gives you armor on your head, but obviously won’t help if someone’s hacking your arm off. Body armor comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, providing varying degrees of coverage and varying heaviness of materials. Armor comes in four types: archaic, impromptu, concealable, and tactical.

8

Archaic armor is old-fashioned armor, such as medieval chain-mail and plate mail. Impromptu armor includes items that provide protection even though they weren’t designed for that purpose, such as leather biker’s jackets and football pads. Tactical armor is modern body armor that fits over clothing and can’t be easily concealed. Its weight and bulk make it impractical to wear all the time, and it’s generally only donned when a specific dangerous confrontation is likely. Because it’s worn over clothing in tactical situations, tactical armor often has pockets, clips, and Velcro attachment points for carrying weapons, grenades, ammunition, flashlights, first aid kits, and other items. Padded Armor: This archaic armor consists of a breastplate made of layers of linen, which are then quilted together to form rudimentary armor. Some types hang all the way to the knees. Leather Jacket: This armor is represented by a heavy leather flying jacket, flying leathers or biker jacket. A number of other impromptu armors, such as a football pads and a baseball catcher’s pads, offer similar protection and game statistics. Leather Armor: This archaic armor consists of a breastplate made of thick, lacquered leather, along with softer leather coverings for other parts of the body.

147

Pulp Fantastic

RULES

ARMOR SUMMARY ARMOR

VALUE

WEIGHT

NOTES

COORDINATION PENALTY

Banded Armor

6

40lbs

Archaic, Rare

2

Chain-mail Shirt

5

40lbs

Archaic, Rare

1

Chemico Body Armor

3

6lbs

Tactical, Uncommon

1

EOB Body Armor

4

10lbs

Tactical, Uncommon

1

Half Plate Armor

7

50lbs

Archaic, Rare

2

Hide

3

25lbs

Archaic, Uncommon

1

Leather Armor

2

15lbs

Archaic, Uncommon

1

Leather Jacket

1

4lbs

Impromptu, Common

0

Padded Armor

1

10lbs

Archaic, Uncommon

1

Plate Mail

8

50lbs

Archaic, Rare

3

Scale-mail Armor

3

30lbs

Archaic, Rare

2

Splint Mail

6

45lbs

Archaic, Rare

2

Studded Leather Armor

3

20lbs

Archaic, Uncommon

2

Studded Leather Armor: This medieval-era armor consists of leather with metal studs riveted from the inside. Chemico Body Armor: British armor worn during the Great War. It is commonly made of kapok and fabric making it lighter than similar armors that use metal. It is effective against piercing attacks, but not so effective against bullets. Chain-mail Shirt: This medieval-era armor is a long shirt made of interlocking metal rings, with a layer of padding underneath. It’s heavy, making it uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. Some science heroes wear chainmail made of exotic alloys, making it easier to wear for long periods, but this variant qualifies as Weird Tech. Scale-mail Armor: This medieval-era armor consists of constructed of metal scales sewn or riveted onto a leather garment. EOB Body Armor: British armor worn during the Great War. It is commonly made of metal plates covering the front, back and groin. This armor was the most effective of all armors used during the Great War. Half Plate Armor: This medieval-era armor dispenses with the chain backing of plate mail to save weight. Instead, a light suit of padding or akteon is worn beneath it. The considerable weight of this armor is distributed over the wearer’s body, and a trained knight can lie down, stand up, or vault into a saddle while wearing this armor. Plate Mail: This medieval-era armor consists of metal plates that cover the entire body. It’s heavy and cumbersome compared to most modern armor, but it does provide a great deal of protection. Shield: A shield gives 4 or 8 points of Armor, depending on what it is made out of. When using a shield, you only get its protection if you use a Reaction to defend against

148

the current attack – if you use the same Reaction roll against multiple attacks, the shield only works against the first attack.

Lifestyle What sort of lifestyle does your character live? Does he drive an exotic car and own a speedboat, throwing lavish parties and flying off to Rio for the weekend? Or does he subsist on pizza and pasta in a one-room apartment? An average character (one without the Wealthy or Impoverished Traits) can afford a meal at a good restaurant, a ticket to a basketball game, or a new book pretty much any time he wants. More expensive lifestyle options are always available, but he can’t really live beyond his means for long without becoming temporarily Impoverished. Of course, if he already owns a Bugatti, becoming Impoverished doesn’t necessarily mean he has to give it up. He still drives an expensive car—he just can’t currently afford to do all the other things people associate with that kind of life. A character with the Impoverished Trait is nearly always broke. A night at the movies might be a treat, but he can’t regularly afford anything more expensive without spending a Story Point. Characters with Wealthy as a Minor Good trait are comfortably well-off. They can easily drop about $500 at a time, meaning that they will fly, drink and eat first class more often than not. Having Wealthy as a Major Good Trait means that money is no longer something you have to worry about.

Equipment

Vehicles

pushing or dragging cargo. Some vehicles have higher levels of Powerful.

The essence of the Pulp Era is speed. As new technologies shrank the world, people became obsessed with travelling further and faster than ever before. Pulp characters in general are always leaping on a plane or a boat (or zeppelin!) and travelling across the globe in search of action and adventure. This section deals with the various vehicles the characters will rely on to get them from place to place.

Off-road: The vehicle is designed to go off-road. If a vehicle that lacks this Trait goes off-road, call for Transport checks every few rounds.

Attributes

Sample Vehicles

Vehicles have four special Attributes. Handling: The ease of manoeuvring the vehicle at speed. Speed: How fast they move, in terms of Areas per Round, which is what you need to know for chases. A vehicle can go faster than its listed speed, but if you push it like that, you’ll have to make a Transport roll every round to keep control. Armour: How tough the vehicle’s exterior is. This may also reflect how much protection the vehicle gives to people inside it. Size: How big the vehicle is. Hit Capacity: How much damage the vehicle can take before being immobilised. A vehicle that takes half its Hit Capacity is damaged, and loses half its speed. A vehicle that takes twice its Hit Capacity in damage is torn apart and is now a pile of junk. Aircraft and water craft work slightly differently. A boat that’s taken half its Hit Capacity is holed and is sinking. It can still be used, but loses one Speed every round until reduced to 0, at which point it sinks. An aircraft reduced to half its starting Hit Capacity is out of control. The pilot needs to land it immediately or it will crash.

Fast: Some vehicles are really fast. If you push the speed of a Fast Vehicle, you move 2 extra zones on a Success, 4 on a Good Success, and 6 on a Fantastic one.

Motorcycle: These statistics are for small Common motorcycles. Something fancier like an Indian Hendee Special gets a higher Hit Capacity, Armour and Speed; such motorcycles are Uncommon. A really powerful motorcycle is Fast. Small Car: Your average family car, like a Ford Model T. Common. Big Car: This is a large, expensive car, like a Duesenberg Model J Phaeton; leather seats, walnut dashboard. Don’t scratch the paintwork. Cars like this are Uncommon. Sports Car: A top-of-the line sports car, like a BMW 328 or an Auburn 852 Speedster. Cars like this are rare. Utility: This covers military jeeps, pick-up trucks (like the Ford Model A Pickup) and other utility vehicles (like the Ford Model T Utility Truck). They’re Uncommon. Truck: A cargo truck. A bus would have similar attributes, but would replace its Powerful Trait with more space for passengers. Trucks are Uncommon. Tank: A front-line battle tank like the Panzerkampfwagen III. A vehicle like that has a main gun that can make mincemeat out of any hero as well as smaller anti-personnel weapons. Battle tanks are Rare, and your gm shouldn’t let you get one anyway.

Traits

Inflatable Dingy: An inflatable boat. Safe and reliable unless a shark bites a chunk out of it. Inflatable dinghies are Uncommon.

There are also a few special Traits that vehicles can have.

Speedboat: A fast sports boat. Rare.

Open: The vehicle offers next to no protection to people inside it. A motorcycle is open, as is a convertible. Enclosed: Your average car—the main compartment is enclosed, but there are big windows that could be smashed open easily. If an Enclosed vehicle is attacked, then a big attacker may be able to get at the people inside through the windows with a Fantastic attack result. Fully Enclosed: This is for tanks and other vehicles that are designed to withstand attacks from outside, like a safari landrover. The windows are non-existent, or are made with wire-hardened glass and are far enough away from the passengers to ensure that attackers need to smash or flip the vehicle to get at the characters inside (assuming they don’t just open the door). Powerful: This vehicle has a big engine and puts out lots of horsepower. Double its speed for the purposes of

8

Autogyro: Invented in 1923, the autogyro is a predecessor of the modern helicopter. Built from airplane components, an autogyro has the body of a light plane such as the Sopwith Camel, but with rotary blades mounted above the cockpit in place of wings (though it does have a pair of light stabilizers extending to the sides where the wings would be on a monoplane). A propeller on the front moves the autogyro forward. Rare.

Motorcycles Unlike getting into a car, mounting a motorcycle is a free action. Motorcycles tend to perform better than automobiles, but they provide no cover to their occupants. BMW R12: A sturdy well-built motorcycle, available with or without a sidecar, used by the Third Reich as a vehicle for scouts or couriers. 149

Pulp Fantastic Indian Hendee Special: The Indian Hendee Special is the first electric start motorcycle. It is a powerful bike capable of high speed. It’s smaller than most vehicles occupying only a single square. This bike is the favorite of a lot of daredevils and speed freaks. SdKfz 2: A treaded motorcycle half-track, the SdKfz 2 Kettenkraftrad was originally conceived as a light support towing vehicle for mountain troops, but found favor with all Wehrmacht troops, especially those in the Eastern Front where it’s excellent cross country ability allowed it to maneuver in the mud-bogged roads and the mountainous Caucasus region.

Cars

RULES

Several cars are covered here. Bentley-3 Litre: Known for both speed and reliability, the Bentley 3-Litre has been jokingly referred to as “The fastest truck in the world.” With the convertible top up, it provides two-thirds cover to its driver and passengers; with the roof down, this is reduced to one-third cover. Mercedes-Benz SSK: A fine early sports car, the SSK pales in comparison to the Alfa Romeo that comes along a few years later. Model A Ford Roadster Pickup: This is a typical early pickup truck, lacking the large capacity of more modern pickups. The driver has two-thirds cover, while the rear bed provides one-third cover. Model A Ford Station Wagon: Later known as a “Woody” for its wooden sides, this kind of early station wagon is intended for commercial use (replacing its passengers with additional cargo capacity). It provides two-thirds cover to its occupants. Alfa Romeo 8C 2900: The Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 is a fast two-seat racer. It provides one-third cover to its occupants. Duesenberg Model J Phaeton: This luxury automobile brought the term “duesy” (or “doozy”) into popular slang. It has a separate windshield for the passengers in the rear seat! With the convertible top up, it provides two-thirds cover to its occupants; with the roof down, this is reduced to one-third cover. Citroen Traction Avant: One of the first cars to use frontwheel drive, the 1934 Citroen Traction Avant is a technology leader. It provides two-thirds cover to its occupants.

Bugatti Type 57 Atalante: The Bugatti Type 57 is a sleek and elegant racer from 1937, and provides two-thirds cover to its occupants. Hispano-Suiza H6C Saoutchik Xenia Coupe: A masterpiece of artistic design, this is a successor to the classic Hispano-Suiza sedans of earlier years. Its art deco styling and teardrop shape set it apart from any other car on the road at the time. It provides two-thirds cover to its occupants.

Military Vehicles Several military vehicles are covered here. Panzerkampfwagen III: One of the Reich’s famed Panzer tanks, the Panzerkampfwagen III was relatively lightly armed and armored, with 15mm armor. This vehicle is armed with a single 37mm cannon and a MG34. SturmGeschuetz III: The SturmGeschütz (Assault Gun) was designed using the main hull of the Panzer III. Originally designed as support artillery weapon it was later up gunned with a massive 75mm cannon and used as a tank-killer. Type VIIA U-boat: Another iconic Nazi vehicle, the U-boats traveled the Atlantic in predatory “wolf-packs”, harassed shipping, delivered Nazi spies onto unsuspecting enemy beaches, and carried secret archeological discoveries to hidden island fortresses! There were many types of U-boat — this vehicle is armed with a 75mm deck gun, 11 torpedoes in 4 forward tubes.

Airplanes In the 1920 and 30’s, the airplane was still a relatively new technology, and flight was seen as the gateway to adventure.

Auburn 852 Speedster: Another speedy racing car. With the convertible top up, it provides two-thirds cover to its occupants; with the roof down, this is reduced to onethird cover.

Fokker Triplane: The only fighter plane nearly comparable to the Sopwith Camel during the Great War, the Fokker is just as well known, as it was made famous by the exploits of the legendary Red Baron. It carries twin Spandau machine guns. (Use the statistics for the Browning M1917 machine gun.)

BMW 328: A lightweight and aerodynamic sports car, the BMW 328 is speedy (for its time) and maneuverable.

Sopwith Camel: One of the most famous fighter

Buick Series 90 Convertible Phaeton: A popular car in the early days of Hollywood, the Buick Series 90 Convertible is elegant and often seen in light colors. With the convertible top up, it provides two-thirds cover to its occupants; with the roof down, this is reduced to one-third cover.

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It is 3 squares long and 2 squares wide. With the convertible top up, it provides two-thirds cover to its occupants; with the roof down, this is reduced to one-third cover.

Equipment VEHICLE SUMMARY TYPE

ARMOR

HIT CAPACITY

SPEED

HANDLING

SIZE

TRAITS

Motorcycle

2

6

8

4

Average

Open

Motorcycle Half-Track

2

6

8

2

Average

Open, Off-Road

Small Car

4

12

8

3

Large

Enclosed

Big Car

5

16

8

2

Large

Enclosed

Sports Car

4

12

12

4

Large

Open, Fast

Utility

6

16

6

1

Large

Enclosed, Off-Road, Powerful

Truck

4

24

5

1

Huge

Enclosed, Powerful x 4

Tank

18

32

3

2

Huge

Fully Enclosed, Off-Road, Powerful x 8

Dinghy

0

6

6

2

Large

Open

Speedboat

4

10

8

3

Large

Open, Fast

Autogyro

6

10

12

3

Large

Open

Biplane

6

12

12

3

Large

Open

Fighter Plane

8

18

14

4

Huge

Enclosed, Fast

Fighter Bomber

8

24

14

2

Huge

Enclosed, Fast

Cargo Plane

8

30

12

2

Huge

Enclosed, Powerful x 2

Sea Plane

8

30

12

2

Huge

Enclosed, Powerful

Airliner

10

30

12

0

Huge

Enclosed, Powerful x 2

Zeppelin

10

50

10

-2

Huge

Enclosed, Powerful x 4

U-Boat

10

120

10

-4

Huge

Fully Enclosed, Powerful x 8

8

151

Pulp Fantastic planes of The Great War, the Sopwith Camel is a highly maneuverable biplane with twin Vickers machine guns mounted in the nose. (Use the statistics for the Colt-Browning M1895 machine gun.) The breeches of the guns are covered by a hump that gives the plane its name. Other Great War-era biplanes have -1 maneuver modifiers but are otherwise comparable to the Camel.

RULES

Messerschmitt Bf109: One of the best air superiority fighters ever built, the Messerschmitt was the predator of the skies. The Bf109 was the Luftwaffe’s standard single-seat fighter since 1935 and was able to outfight or outrun virtually all opposition. The fighter was used primarily for intercept and bomber escort duties. Junkers 87D Stuka: Stuka is the abbreviation of the German word Sturzkampfflugzeug, which designated all dive bombers. The main fighter/bomber used by the Luftwaffe, the Stuka would play a major role in the Blitzkrieg that swept across Poland, northern Europe and France. In the later years of the war, the Ju 87 had a successful second life as an antitank weapon, striking armor columns from above. Sikorski S-42 (Seaplane): Before the extensive development of airports, seaplanes such as the Sikorski S-42 (Seaplane) are popular passenger planes. They can carry nearly three dozen passengers in comfort. Curtis Condor: This was the ultimate airliner prior to the 1933 introduction of the Boeing 247. Despite its - at the time luxurious cabin - the Condor was a beast to fly and a nauseating ride for passengers.

Zeppelins One of the most visually distinctive and graceful means of transportation, the zeppelin is also practically synonymous with the idea of Pulp in the minds of most modern gamers. A zeppelin consists of a large hydrogen or helium filled balloon that is steered by rudders on the aft and given thrust by propellers. Rigid-bodied zeppelins usually have a small control gondola beneath, with passenger accommodation and cargo holds within the body of the craft. At over 100 metres long with a carrying capacity of up to 72 passengers, a standard large passenger airship could cross the Atlantic in two and a half days. The world famous Hindenburg was over 240 metres long, the largest object ever to fly, while the Graf Zeppelin was the first aircraft to fly around the world. While most zeppelins were filled with highly flammable hydrogen, American airships used helium and therefore weren’t exposed to the same risk from fire.

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Technology Levels Despite the fact that all of the technology of the Pulp Era ran on vacuum tubes, scientific endeavors are broken into various Technology Levels, for ease of use in these rules. Bear in mind that these are not hard and fast guidelines to any particular era, and that any historical epoch is a blend of different Progress Levels for the different types of sciences. A Technology Level (tl) is an indication of the state of technology that exists in a particular society or civilization (which, in a science fiction setting, may be located on a planet other than Earth). This state of technological development generally pervades all aspects of a culture, particularly at higher levels (tl 5 and beyond) when longrange communication is virtually instantaneous. Even at lower levels, it’s unlikely—but not impossible—for a group of humans (or other sentient beings) to be at one Technology Level in some respects and at another one in other respects. Technology Level may vary wildly from place to place on the same world or even the same continent.

TL 1: Stone Age The major achievements of a Stone Age society are the use of fire, the domestication of animals, and the invention of agriculture. An individual living in a Stone Age society is primitive, but he isn’t necessarily gullible, stupid, or easily frightened by advanced technology. Common weapons in a tl 1 civilization include the club, the dagger, the spear, and the bow. Armor made from hide or leather is possible, as are wicker shields. Communication beyond the local tribe or settlement doesn’t exist. Travel is accomplished by foot or by simple rafts or canoes. Simple pottery, stone working, and woodworking are possible.

TL 2: Bronze/Iron Age – Middle Ages Early human civilizations began to work metal toward the end of the Stone Age. The malleability of copper led to its becoming the first metal to be “tamed.” Adding tin to copper created a much stronger alloy: bronze. This advance allowed for the crafting of tools and weapons of great durability. In turn, those improved tools made possible the working of iron, which soon replaced bronze as the metal of choice for tools and weapons. In a Bronze/Iron Age society, advances in pottery, construction, and agriculture allow for the concentration of populations into larger and larger groups, with a corresponding upswing in the accumulation and sharing of knowledge. The rise of nations, city states, and empires begins in the Bronze Age. Organized efforts to improve communications allow regional societies to exist. Galleys and small sailing vessels are capable of relatively long voyages, and some cultures may build extensive road or canal networks to link distant places.

Equipment Improvements in agricultural efficiency permit the rise of artisans, craftsmen, professional soldiers, and other occupations that are not directly concerned with gathering food. The sword replaces the club and the dagger as the preferred weapon of infantry. Chariots briefly dominate warfare before cavalry (aided by the introduction of the stirrup) renders chariots obsolete. The first true military forces or tactical systems appear. Armor can now be made from sewn plates or scales, metal links, or even forged breastplates, and a variety of metal melee weapons dominate the battlefield. Maturing civilizations experience a period of turmoil and adjustment toward the end of this Technology Level. Developments continue in architecture, commerce, metallurgy, and mathematics. Wider dissemination of information becomes possible thanks to more advanced printing techniques. Sea communications dominate in the later part of this stage of development, and sturdy seafaring carracks and galleons open the door to the next Progress Level. As populations increase and knowledge of agriculture evolves, an increasing percentage of the population relocates into growing cities and towns. Toward the end of this Progress Level, the feudal system, in which a small class of nobles ruled a large population of agricultural workers, begins to collapse. Specialized crafts develop, universities appear, and the middle class is born. The first corporations emerge in the form of trade guilds. The evolution of strong systems of trade and finance tends to distribute a society’s wealth more evenly among its members, diluting the power of the nobility. Tools of warfare undergo a significant revolution. Sophisticated chain and plate armors protect warriors from harm, and elaborate fortifications become something of an art form. Toward the end of the Middle Ages, the introduction of simple gunpowder weapons signals the imminent end of knights, heavy armor, and organized armies of swordsmen.

TL 3: Age of Reason The Age of Reason is an era in human history when the development of ideas and systems of thought takes precedence over technological invention. The scientific method improves humankind’s understanding of the world. Experimentation becomes the means by which the physical properties of nature are systematically examined. The study of the various scientific disciplines—chemistry, electromagnetics, medicine, biology, and astronomy—flourishes. Instruments such as microscopes and telescopes enable scientists to greatly extend the range of their observations and discoveries. The new reliance on science generates waves on all levels of society. Superstition falls away, and exploration of the world reaches its apex. Society begins to experiment with new forms of organization, such as democracy. Corporations and economic alliances continue to evolve. Economically, this Progress Level is a transition from the cottage industries of the Middle Ages to industrialization. The cannon becomes the dominant factor in naval warfare, while massed musket fire and horse-pulled field pieces rule

the battlefield. Even the reliable bow vanishes, replaced by the flintlock. Light melee weapons remain common.

TL 4: Industrial Age In the fourth Technology Level, the theoretical knowledge of the previous era matures into widespread practical application. This is the Technology Level of the world detailed in the pulp fantastic rpg. Any Progress Levels above 4 will belong to limited individuals. The harnessing of hydraulic, steam, and electric power creates an explosion of commerce and industry. Developments such as the telegraph, the telephone, and the radio make true global communication possible. Breakthroughs in manufacturing techniques allow the construction of heavy ironclad vessels, rail transportation, and architecture of previously unimaginable size. Pioneers venture high into the atmosphere and descend into the sea’s depths. Urbanization is complete as individuals gather in smaller environments where they can more easily exchange goods and information. Corporations expand in power, many establishing themselves throughout the explored world. Governments are based on political and economic factors. The means of war change swiftly through the period. Aircraft and submersibles join the list of military assets. Reliable and accurate rifles, pistols, and machine guns become common. Mechanized war machines herald the first great change in the art of battle since the end of the knight.

TL 5: Space Faring/Information Age

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The Industrial Age relied on chemical power, but in the Space Faring/Information Age, computer technology and electronics rule supreme. Satellite information systems and the Internet connect the globe digitally. This Technology Level also sees the introduction of fission power and weapons reducing the importance of fossil fuels. The automobile replaces the locomotive as the common form of travel. The first steps toward space travel involve massive chemical rockets, unmanned probes and satellites, and short-term manned missions. The technology of the era allows greater citizen participation in government. The emergence of international alliances begins to dissolve borders between nations. Corporations gather power and begin to threaten government authority. Technology has a greater effect on individual lifestyles than on society as a whole. Most weapons at this time are refined versions of Industrial Age equipment. Rifles, machine guns, and heavy howitzers are still used by the world’s soldiers. Computerized targeting systems and guided weapons make warfare much more precise and efficient. Strategic weapons, tested but never used, exhibit the species’ power to exterminate itself in minutes. Humanity experiences its Information Age as anxious years full of minor crises. The tension gradually alleviates through the age, and as the era ends new superpowers form. 153

TL 6: Star Faring Age The development of fusion power provides an efficient, non-expendable energy source that almost obliterates the need for chemical fuel sources. Advanced space exploration and colonization become possible. Computers become even more accessible, reliable, and powerful, leading to the development of virtual systems and widespread access to the global Internet. Slowly, society experiences another revolution as individual nations are replaced by world powers. Mega-corporations number among these new superpowers as the line between the national citizen and corporate employee is rendered indistinct. Armed with the means to eradicate the entire species, the world powers keep conflicts to the level of skirmishing and posturing, and integration of the Information Age’s improvements proceed peacefully. Scientific advancements in genetic engineering lead to artificial evolution and the first government- and corporate sanctioned attempts to genetically manipulate human beings. Early results are encouraging, with the manifestation of positive and negative mutations in the species toward the end of the age. Scientists also perfect cloning technology, and the first human clones are created. In the later years of this age, the first crude applications of gravity induction technology appear, in the form of civilian and military vehicles that can move through the air without using physical propulsion or consumption of fuel. Chemical-powered explosives and firearms remain the weapons of choice; fusion technology can’t be effectively miniaturized for personal combat. Nevertheless, advanced chemistry and superconducting technology change the materials and capabilities of many weapons. True spaceships become possible, propelled by powerful fusion drives, but still require a reaction mass to traverse space. The age sees the tenuous settlement of other planets and asteroids within the same star system, with mankind venturing out amongst the stars towards to end of the era.

Purchasing Items of Lower or Higher Technology Level Technology Levels are relative, and depending on the economics of a campaign, a gm may choose to make certain items of a higher or lower Technology Level unavailable, cheaper, or more expensive to purchase. For the sake of game balance, gms who want to make higher-tl items available to characters should adjust their availability up or down by the twice the number of Technology Levels between them. For example, at tl5 a pocket calculator is a Common item. At tl4 the same device should be Rare, an example of cutting edge technology, while at tl3 and below it becomes Unique.

Lower-tlitems (with the exception of valuable antiques) are similarly adjusted at the Gamemasters discretion. For example, an actual 20th Century pocket calculator may become a valuable antique by the late 22nd, going from being a Common item to a Rare one. However, the technology itself is ubiquitous and will never be anything more than Common.

Chapter 9 Pulp Inventions

L

ike the era in which the Pulps were created, technology plays an important role in the stories of the Pulp Era, and not just in those stories that deal with the science fictional genres directly. The Pulps were filled with “Lab Coats,” Weird Inventors for both good and evil who were the precursors of the Atomic Age. Between the insanely cackling mad scientists with their planet smashers and their death rays and the heroic scientific adventurers with their auto-gyros, jet packs and long range radio waves, the pulps were filled with high technology and bristling with vacuum tubes. In two words, “weird science” is what sets the pulp fantastic role-playing game apart from the real world of the early twentieth century. In the pulp fantastic role-playing game, Weird Inventors are square-jawed visionaries who volunteer to test their own rocket-packs because they want to make sure it works before giving it to anyone else. To them the future holds limitless promise, and weird science is the means by which that promise will be realized. The workshops and laboratories of the Weird Inventor are littered with prototypes for a variety of items from space rockets and flying cars to ray-guns and giant robots. However, not all inventors work for the forces of freedom and liberty. There are sinister secret societies and tyrant nations that have Weird Inventors of their own. The science of the world is both promising and threatening. To simulate these types of characters, both good and evil, pulp fantastic uses the following system for handling the weird science, regardless of how impossible it seems, of the Pulp Era.

INVENTIONS VS EQUIPMENT Equipment is classed as items that can be acquired with little difficulty, or built and repaired by ordinary technicians and engineers. They may be rare, or expensive, but they’re out there in the world if you know where to look and have sufficient funds. Inventions are a whole different kettle of ionized plasma. They’re something really special, can do amazing things and can’t be quickly built or repaired by anyone without the Gadgeteer Trait. Most are one of a kind, and many push – or break! - the limits of what ordinary people consider possible. A Gas Gun, a Man Portable Rocket Powered Device or an Ether Flyer are Inventions, and they have a number of Traits that can help your rolls.

Owning a Invention Having an Invention isn’t free. These remarkable items are rare to have at character creation and should be discussed and authorized by the Gamemaster. Inventions come in various sizes, just like Traits: Minor, Major and Special. Minor Inventions cost 1 Story Point and can hold a single Minor Trait. They may hold a Major Trait (or two Minor), but would need to take a Bad Trait to ‘pay’ for the extra cost, such as Restriction or One Shot. They hold a single Story Point, and this can be used so the Invention can do something novel or different, though the effect of this will be fairly small. Major Inventions cost 2 Story Points and can hold a Major or two Minor Traits. They may hold an additional Major (or additional two Minor Traits, up to 4 points worth in total) but will need to take a Bad Trait or two to ‘pay’ for the additional ability, such as Restriction or One Shot. They hold two Story Points, and these can be used so that the Invention can do something that it is not normally designed for, the effect of which can be fairly significant. Special Inventions cost 4 Story Points and can hold up to 4 points worth of Traits (2 Major, 4 Minor, etc). They may hold more than this, but will need to take Bad Traits to pay for the additional abilities. They can hold four Story Points to do odd or remarkable things, with some major effect on the story. For example, at character creation you can have an Invention that is a Major Invention and has 4 Good Traits – Open/ Close, Scan, Transmit and Weld – and 2 Bad Traits – Restriction (Living Flesh) and Restriction (Complex Controls). It can hold 4 Story Points, which can be used to do things that this device may have never done before. It costs 2 Story Points from the characters’ Story Point pool if purchased at character creation. Inventions purchased in this way reduce your maximum Story Point totals, but it does mean that the Invention is rarely lost. The good thing about getting a Invention this way is that if it goes missing or is broken, the Invention is assumed to be fixed or replaced at the beginning of the next adventure. This doesn’t mean that the Invention can’t be removed permanently. If the Gamemaster thinks that the Invention is being over used, or misused, it can be lost as part of the storyline, the Invention being removed (with the character’s Story Point maximum restored by the Invention’s cost). Who knows,

Pulp Fantastic the recovery of the item could be a whole story in itself, and maybe the players will learn not to rely on such Inventions all the time.

Creating Inventions

RULES

Weird inventors toil away in their secret laboratories working on nucleonic beams to help them take over the world; real-life inventors have in their minds the plans for inventions such as death rays and perpetual motion machines. All of these devices, real or imagined, fall under the category of weird science, and these weird items are usually the creations of characters with the Gadgeteer Trait. Doctor Indiana frequently throws together a wild Invention with a little weird science. Characters without the Gadgeteer Trait can create strange Inventions, but it’s much harder for them and it takes a lot longer. Most of the the really wild devices – the ones that push, bend and occasionally ignore the laws of physics entirely - can only be created by characters with the Gadgeteer Trait. Without it they’ll just cobble together a non-functioning mess of Tesla coils, vacuum tubes and wires. Weird science and weird inventions are the product of scientific prescience; devices and constructs that possess capabilities beyond what is possible in the normal everyday world. Most items created by weird science are mechanical devices rather than the deliberate improvement of organisms or other such items. Making gadgets that defy common sense is easier than some might expect – for a Weird Inventor, at least. Note that more complicated items (Major, or Special Inventions) can take a lot longer to create. Sometimes, Special Inventions can require rare and difficult to find items that will be the focus of a whole adventure. The big question to ask before going ahead with creating any of these Inventions is ‘Why do they need it?’ If they’re just making something because it’s cool, then that’s not really good enough to warrant the time spent creating it. There needs to be a dramatic need for the item.

Behold! I call it the… The first thing an inventor has to do is decide just what kind of weird item he’s trying to make. This means the inventor’s player should write down the name of the device followed by a paragraph or two describing the dubious “scientific principles” the character employs to make it work. It’s more fun to write the theory from the perspective of the character, by the way. Be sure to share it with your group: for some reason inventors can never stop cackling about their latest inventions and theories. A generous gm may choose to award a Story Point to a player whose inventor comes up with a particularly entertaining crackpot theory.

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Building Inventions Making a new Invention uses Ingenuity + Technology. Creating a new Invention takes a lot of work—it’s not something you can whip up overnight in most cases (there are exceptions, of course—it’s possible to jury-rig something in an emergency). When you’re creating an Invention in the middle of an adventure, you need to make an Ingenuity and Technology Skill check to ensure you have tweaked the right bits and soldered the correct connections. Then you spend enough Story Points to temporarily purchase the Invention. Inventions created this way are temporary items, and the Story Points used to create them are not deducted from the character’s maximum total, just from their current points. They’ll get them back in time. Your progress towards completing the Invention is tracked by a special bonus called, imaginatively, your Progress. This starts at 0, and rises as you get closer to finishing the device. You add your Progress to your Ingenuity + Technology rolls. You need to accumulate a certain amount of Progress before the invention is completed. When making a new Invention, you roll Ingenuity + Technology + Progress against a Difficulty set by the gm, and check the following table. DIFFERENCE

EFFECT

9+

Almost there! Add +4 to your Progress.

4 to 8

Progress! The Invention isn’t finished, but you’re making good progress. Add +2 to your Progress.

0 to 3

No progress…but you’ve got an idea. You need more information before you can finish your device. You might need to gather samples from the field, or conduct experiments, or acquire a particular component. If you do so, add +1 to your Progress.

−1 to −3

It works…At least, you think it does. Your character believes the Invention is ready for prime-time. If you take it with you into the field, the device will appear to work for a short while, then malfunction (usually in a shower of sparks, with a loud bang, a pathetic puff of smoke, or all of the above). You’ll learn from this experience, and gain +1 Progress and a Story Point. On the down side, your malfunctioning device might get you killed. If you don’t take the Invention into the field, lose 1 Progress.

−4 to −8

No Progress: You’re getting nowhere.

under −9

Wrong Track: Lose 1 - 6 Progress as you head down the wrong track.

An Invention takes about a week per point of Progress required to create, unless it is being jury-rigged (see page 157).

Pulp Inventions DETERMINING INVENTION COMPLEXITY DIFFICULTY

PROGRESS NEEDED

Repair of Weird Invention or state-of-the-art technology

Easy (9)

1

Relatively simple but new use or upgrade of existing tech

Normal (12)

2

New technology (Radio-controlled robot)

Tricky (15)

3

Complex new technology (Hand-Held Detector, X-Ray Goggles)

Hard (18)

5

Very Difficult (24)

10

Revolutionary new technology (Thinking Machine)

Improbable (27)

15

Tech that defies the laws of science (Time Machine, Dimensional Portal)

Impossible (30)

25

EXAMPLES

Cutting edge new technology (Death Ray)

For example, Doctor Indiana is trying to build an Element X detector that registers in the presence of the strange radioactive mineral. The GM decides that’s Tricky (15) and will take a total Progress of 3 to complete. In week 1, Doctor Indiana rolls Ingenuity + Technology for a total of 17. That beats the difficulty by 2. Doctor Indiana needs to make a detailed observation of Element X’s eerie emissions to make any progress. During week 2, Lucy La Roux, his beautiful lab assistant, vanishes mysteriously and Doctor Indiana has to choose between looking for her and finishing his measurements. He puts down his detector and goes to look for his colleague. No progress on his gadget. In week 3, he rolls a total of 20. That’s beating the target by 5. He adds two to his Progress! During the next week, he rolls, adding a +2 bonus for his Progress. He gets a 20 again, which means his Progress is 4. That’s over the Progress total of 3 he needs. After four weeks the Element X Detector is complete!

Invention Traits Your Invention, as mentioned above, has Good Traits that affect your character’s rolls when they are used. These can be Traits you’ve seen already when it comes to creating characters (see page 114) or npcs (see page 171), or something new. For example, a cool jet-pack would award the user the Flight Trait. Invention-specific Traits are listed below. Inventions can have Bad Traits, just like people. Usually these are restrictions on their use.

Augment (Minor or Major Good Invention Trait) The Invention improves a character’s Attributes. A Minor Augmentation gives a +1 to two Attributes, while a Major Augmentation either gives a +2 to two Attributes or a +3 to one Attribute. The benefits from an Invention can lift a character’s Attributes to inhuman levels (7+). A teaching helmet might boost Ingenuity, while a suit of hydraulic armor could increase Strength.

JURY-RIGGING Sometimes you need a gadget right now, and don’t have time to wait. In emergencies only, you can spend Story Points to accelerate the development of a gadget. The character can make up the difference between his current Progress and the amount he requires with Story Points, and then make an Ingenuity + Technology Skill check. If this is successful, he’s got a working version of the gadget. It’s ugly, it’s improvised, it’s got wires hanging out—but it works. Jury-rigged Inventions are hurriedly built prototypes, fragile, prone to malfunction and not meant for heavy use. They may even incorporate one-shot components or irreplaceable materials. Jury-rigging is only available to characters with the Gadgeteer Trait. Let’s go back to the earlier example. Let’s say plucky Lucy La Roux was abducted by the dreaded Radium Men. Her comrades want to rescue her, but don’t know how to track her down. Doctor Indiana decides that he’ll get his prototype Element X Detector working to save the day by tracking the Radium Men’s Element X powered ray-blasters. He spends three Story Points to make up the missing Progress, and makes a Skill check. He fails, and spends more Story Points to bump his failure up to a Success. It’s cost him a lot of Story Points, but he’s got a working Element X Detector when he needs it.

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Bulky (Minor or Major Bad Invention Trait) This Invention is bigger and heavier than it should be. The Minor version of this Trait means that the device can be carried by a single person, but it’s the size of a heavy rucksack. The Major version of this Trait means that the Invention fits on the back of a truck. This Bad Trait only applies to items that you’d expect to be small. Trying to argue that your flying car is Bulky will just make the Gamemaster laugh at you, but a ray gun the size of a tuba is a perfect example of Bulky.

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Pulp Fantastic

Control

Disable

(Minor or Major Good Invention Trait)

(Minor or Major Good Invention Trait)

The Invention can control something else, like another machine. It can even seize control of such devices. A “remote-control ray” that overrides the steering of an airplane is a great example of a Minor Control gadget.

The Invention stops another Invention from working. The Minor version of this Trait means the Disable effect only works on one particular target – it might simply stop one sort of weapon from working within its area of effect. The Major version is more likely to drain the power from every device nearby.

The Minor version of this trait works on a particular sort of machine or system, or a particular type of animal. The Major version can control people, and works like the Special trait version of Hypnosis. Control only works over a very short distance. If you want to build a mind control machine to rule the world, try adding Transmit.

Convert

RULES

(Major Good Invention Trait) The gadget turns something into something else. It might turn rock into mud, lead into gold, poisonous gas into breathable air and so on. The size of the conversion field is usually about three feet in diameter, although this can be boosted with Story Points. Most Inventions with Convert are Restricted not to work on living flesh, and only work on a particular kind of substance.

Delete (Major Good Invention Trait) The Invention can remove something from existence, almost like a one-way teleporter. Perhaps it reduces an object into its component atoms and records it, or rotates it into an immaterial dimension. However it works, the object is gone as if it never existed. Objects deleted in this way can usually be restored by the device up to an hour after its deletion, but the Invention can usually only restore the last object it deleted. Should the device be used to delete another object, the first object is irretrievable, even if less than an hour has elapsed.

Feedback (Minor/Major Bad Invention Trait) The invention does 1 point of damage to the user each time it is used, with the Attribute affected chosen by the gm and the player when the device is created. The Major version of this trait inflicts 2 points of damage per use.

Force-field (Minor/Major Good Invention Trait) The Invention can project a protective force field that automatically knocks any damage sustained down by a level. Damage the character or item would receive due to a Disastrous Result from the character (or a Fantastic Result from the attacker) would be knocked down to a Bad (or Good), and a Bad to a Failure, etc. The Major equivalent of this Trait knocks the damage down by two levels. Many repeated hits might deplete the item’s Story Points until the force field is useless.

Fragile (Major Bad Invention Trait)

Inventions with this Trait can normally only delete objects up to a meter in diameter, though this can be doubled if a Story Point is spent. Items with this Trait usually have a safety function built in to prevent their use on living tissue.

The Invention is very breakable. Any damage to it stops it working. For that matter, dropping it, breathing on it or just speaking harshly to it usually stops it working. The gadget can be repaired with a good Technology roll, but it may break again at a moment’s notice. If the character holding the device is hit by an attack or has to make any vigorous or violent movement, then something just broke!

Detect

Hungry

(Minor Good Invention Trait - can be purchased more than once, effects are cumulative)

(Minor or Major Bad Invention Trait)

The Detect Trait means that the Invention can sense something from a distance (no more than a mile or so) – usually something beyond the range of normal senses. What the Invention senses is decided when it is invented and is quite specific – radiation detectors cannot, under normal circumstances, be used to detect life signs, for example. In most cases, the user will have to make an Awareness + Science roll to interpret the output of the machine and get a sense of direction and distance of the detected item, with the Gamemaster deciding the Difficulty depending upon the circumstances (is the target far away, very small, moving or shielded somehow?). 158

Disable effects are usually temporary, but a One-Shot Disable may destroy its targets at the Gamemaster’s whim.

This Invention is a fuel or battery hog, and runs through its power reserves very quickly. The Minor version of this Trait means that any ‘Yes, But’ or ‘No, And’ results (Average Successes or Dismal Failures) when using the gadget means that the battery just ran out. The Major version means that you need to hook the Invention up to a really big power source (like a power plant, furnace, big diesel generator or a whopping big lump of Element X) to get the thing working.

Pulp Inventions

Innocuous (Minor Good Invention Trait) This Trait means the Invention looks like something perfectly ordinary. That radio communicator look just like a wristwatch until you switch it on, and your Duesenberg looks completely normal until you pull the lever that pops the wings out and it takes off. In fact, your Invention won’t even show up as Weird Tech until you’re actually using it.

One Shot

Goggles, then the Trait provides a +3 bonus when used for medical purposes, and +1 when used for anything else – Medical X-Ray Goggles aren’t the best thing to look inside a bank vault locking mechanism, but it may help a little. If the Invention’s designed for a specific purpose, this should be discussed with the Gamemaster, and recorded on the Invention’s sheet.

Simple Controls (Minor Good Invention Trait)

The Invention has one use, and one use only, so you better make it count. One shot, and it’s history. Some items just burn out or explode – others are designed to break after doing what they’re supposed to. If the Gamemaster feels the use of the Invention is dramatic enough, he may refund the Story Points used to build the item.

Weird Inventions are complex beasts, normally so complex that only their creator or another Weird Inventor can operate them. The Simple Controls Trait means that the Inventor has made an effort to simplify the device; labeling switches, numbering dials and reducing the number of delicate operations necessary to make the gosh-darned contraption work. Anyone can pick it up and, with a Hard Ingenuity roll, use it.

Open/Close

Simple Mechanism

(Minor Good Invention Trait)

(Minor Bad Invention Trait)

This Trait gives the Invention the power to open locks and to seal things shut again if necessary. If used with the Subterfuge Skill to pick a lock, it gives the character a +4 bonus to the roll. Locking a door is far easier than opening it, as most locks tend to lock when they are tampered with, giving the character a +6 bonus if the Gamemaster decides a roll to lock the door is necessary.

The operating principles of the average Weird Invention are so bizarre and revolutionary that even the brightest conventional scientists cannot hope to figure them out. Not so with this device, which the Weird Inventor has refined and streamlined to the point that it can be understood – even reproduced! – by ordinary science. Anyone with sufficient scientific and technological know-how could open this thing up and deduce it’s function and operating principles with a Difficult Ingenuity+Technology roll.

(Minor Bad Invention Trait)

Restriction (Minor Bad Invention Trait) Most Inventions have their limitations. This restriction applies when the normal functions of the device do not work in certain circumstances, not to a list of things the item doesn’t do. The Restriction should be discussed with the Gamemaster – it should be something relatively common, but not so common it makes the device useless. Does it not work through lead? Need a special type of fuel to operate? Tricky controls so that only one person can use it?

Scan (Minor Good Invention Trait - can be purchased more than once, effects are cumulative) The Scan Trait means that the Invention can investigate something from a range of a few feet and see what’s going on inside it. Whether this is a medical function, checking inside someone to see what’s wrong, or a technical function looking such as looking at the wiring and circuitry of a device, it all works on the same basic principal. In most cases, the user will have to make an Awareness roll coupled with a suitable Skill (Medicine for a medical scan. Technology for the workings of a device or Invention). The Scan Trait provides a +2 bonus to this roll if the device is designed for ‘general scanning’. If the Invention is used only for a specific purpose, for example Medical X-Ray

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Owners of a device with this Trait must work hard to ensure it does not fall into the wrong hands – do you really want to face the assassins of the Tong of the Black Scorpion if they’re all armed with cheap copies of the lethal Electro-blaster you lost in their temple a few months ago? What happens if they decide to sell their stolen secret to the Nazis? Such Inventions could change the world...

Slow (Minor or Major Bad Invention Trait) The Invention does what it’s designed to do, but it takes its time about it. The Minor version means that the delay between activating the device and something actually happening is at least two minutes. A Majorly Slow Invention can take hours or days to get going.

Teleport (Major Good Invention Trait) Teleport is a specific Trait that means the user can disappear from one location, and instantly appear in another. This is usually very draining on the Invention and it will require refueling frequently. Teleporters, or “electrosenders” are usually specific devices as it takes a lot of power to not only transport the user, but also to check the exit location is clear and avoid any nasty mishaps on arrival. 159

Pulp Fantastic The distance traveled is usually limited to around 400km (enough to get into orbit, or to the inner Earth). Unless someone is boosting the range with special components and ultra-rare materials…

Transmit (Minor Good Invention Trait) Transmit is a general Invention Trait that means the device works in some ways with signals, whether this is picking up, intercepting or blocking radio transmissions, or something similar. It can be used anywhere that signals are transmitted or received to block, listen in, or alter the message. To use the Invention like this will require an Ingenuity and Technology roll, the Gamemaster deciding the Difficulty depending upon the signal being intercepted or received (how far away, encrypted, or faint it is).

Travel

RULES

(Minor or Major Good Invention Trait) This Invention can transport all the player characters in some way. The Minor version of this Trait moves in a way that looks cool, but can be replicated by present-day technology. It might fly, or go underwater, or even travel into space. The Major version can jump dimensions and maybe even travel in time!

Invention Story Points Inventions are also really handy as they can hold Story Points. The Invention can spend these if their use is particularly vital to the story. In most cases, these work a little like characters’ Story Points. They can be spent to add an extra two dice to an essential roll, or to do something extraordinary. The Story Points the Invention spends can only be used when the Invention itself is actively being used. The Invention’s Story Points can be used, as long as the Gamemaster approves, to allow the Invention to do something it’s not normally known for and isn’t on its Trait list. For example, Doctor Indiana’s ultra-violet flashlight doesn’t normally generate heat, but if he can change the light it produces to infra-red, he may just be able to melt his way out of the ice-cavern those hostile yeti have trapped him in… When the Invention runs out of Story Points, it is essentially out of power, broken or otherwise out of action. Characters can donate Story Points to ‘fuel’ the Invention, or dramatic use of the item can mean it is awarded Story Points at the end of the adventure. This is also a great way of helping a character when they’re low on Story Points, by entrusting them with an Invention.

Some Example Inventions

Unreliable

Gas Gun

(Minor Bad Invention Trait)

(Major Invention)

Each time the invention is used roll a d6 and on a roll of 1 the Invention shuts down for d6X10 minutes. Cannot be taken with the One Shot or Fragile Traits.

Handy device that you can use to put your opponents to sleep.

Weld

Story Points: 2

(Minor Good Invention Trait)

Hypno-Disc

The Weld Trait covers all sorts of incendiary uses – the Invention can be used to burn something, cut through thin substances or even solder and weld small items together. While the Trait doesn’t give the task any bonuses, it works as a great multipurpose tool for all your sealing and cutting requirements!

Zap (Minor or Major Good Trait) It goes zap and makes things explode! The Minor Version of this trait means that the Gadget works like your average death ray, inflicting 4/L/L damage on people. Alternatively, it does 4/8/12 damage, but also makes things explode and burn. The Major version of this trait can either hit multiple targets, as long as they’re close together, or else is strong enough to blast vehicles or low-flying zeppelins.

Traits: Hypnosis (Major), Restriction (Sleep Only)

(Major Invention) This small clockwork device fits in the palm of the users hand, and spins with an eerie oscillation that can erase a subject’s memory of the last few hours. Traits: Delete, Psychic, Restriction (Delete function only works on memories) Story Points: 2

Rocket Pack (Major Invention) A man-portable rocket pack that allows a character to fly. It’s a heck of a ride though, and take off is a real kick in the pants! Traits: Feedback (Minor), Flight (Major), Restriction (Requires Jet Fuel) Story Points: 2

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Equipment

Sub-Etheric Electrosender (Major Invention) A large, bulky device capable of tuning in to a distant location (perhaps even another world, with sufficient power!), and transmitting a character to it. Unfortunately, it’s a one-way trip, unless there’s another Sub-Etheric Electrosender at the other end. Traits: Restriction (One-Way), Teleport, Unreliable (Minor) Story Points: 2

A FINAL WORD ON INVENTIONS Not all Inventions involve wires and vacuum tubes. You can use these rules for any sort of research or invention, not just building technological doohickeys. A character could use Medicine to research a cure for a virus, Knowledge to research some obscure historical fact, Science to come up with a new theory and so on. There are Mad Chemists, Mad Biologists, Mad Botanists, Mad Economists (quite a lot of those, actually), Mad Clockmakers...

8

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Chapter 10 Gamemastering This chapter is the real heart of the game. Everything else is just suggestions and guidelines, but the game relies on the Gamemaster to make it all work. It is tricky and challenging, but it lets you play with wonderful ideas and create adventures with your friends. In the role of Gamemaster you’re asked to be part storyteller, part director and part referee.

Storyteller Although you’re all making a great adventure together, the Gamemaster has an idea of where the plot will go, has certain scenes planned and some cool action worked out and knows the story of the adventure. Well, more accurately, he knows a possible story – the players could do something completely unexpected that takes the story in new directions, and the Gamemaster will often have to improvise to stay ahead of the players. Run with what they throw at you! Before the game, you need to come up with an outline of the adventure – who the villain is, what they want and why, how they plan to get it, what comes through, what complications the players face, what challenges they have to overcome, and what other characters are present. This outline can be as simple as a few scribbled notes, or as detailed as a fully written adventure. We’ll talk about designing adventures and series later on, but you can think of an adventure as being equivalent to a television episode, and a series being six or more episodes long.

Director As a director it’s your job to bring the action to life. Instead of saying ‘the robot attacks you’, be descriptive. Talk about the stench of hot metal and ozone, the light gleaming off its rivets, the buzz and crackle of it’s inner workings, the glowing of its photo-receptors, the way the ground shakes as it charges towards the players. When the characters go into a new area, it’ll be up to you to describe the location so the characters get a feel for the place. The better the detail and description, the better the players will be able to picture where they are and what they have to interact with. You’ll have to describe the place, the sounds, the smells and the weather. pulp fantastic is set in world of the 1930’s and 40’s (familiar from the

movies) and in the exotic realms of lost worlds, steaming jungles, isolated temples and secret volcano lairs. You need to describe them all in an exciting and engaging way. If the players take your description and run with it, inventing further details as they describe what they are doing, then great! It’s a sign that they are really getting into it, so encourage this and reward them for it by developing the story around them and incorporate their ideas into your setting. It’s also up to you as director to make sure everyone’s involved and having fun. If one of the players hasn’t done anything in a while, then you need to put the spotlight on that player character and give them a problem to tackle or a chance to shine.

Referee While creating great stories and new adventures for the characters, pulp fantastic is a game and games need rules. These books provide the rules, but in your role as Gamemaster you’ll be asked to make judgment calls and decide the outcome of rolls. Not only that, you’ll be expected to know the rules fairly well and so it may be up to you to teach the rest of the gaming group exactly how to play!

WHO SHOULD BE GAMESMASTER? Answer: You. If you’re reading this, try it out. Usually, it’s the person who has purchased the game as they will have more access to the rules and adventures than the players, giving them a chance to prepare between games. Often, the Gamemaster acts as host for the game, and the players gather at the Gamemaster’s place, but that’s not a rule. Anyone can be the Gamesmaster. Of course it doesn’t have to be just one person running the game indefinitely. It could be that a new Gamemaster takes over with the start of a new series or adventure. A new Gamemaster can change the feel and tone of the game. It also gives you all chance to give Gamemastering a go, and gives everyone a chance at playing (and having a break from the Gamemastering duties). Running a game that everyone enjoys is a tremendously satisfying experience. It is more challenging that ‘just’ being a player, but it also more rewarding and a great chance to indulge your creativity.

Pulp Fantastic Why use rules, instead of just making up a story? Well, the rules make sure everyone plays fair, and the dice give an element of uncertainty and danger. The game is always best when unexpected stuff happens!

What do you need to play? Before you start actually playing, you’ll need a few things. The Rulebook: This book, right here. Dice: Traditional six-sided dice. Raid an old copy of Monopoly if you have to. Ideally, every player should have at least two six-sided dice each, but you can get by with only one pair between the whole group. Somewhere to play: You really need somewhere to play. This can be anywhere, though the most traditional place is a decent sized dinner table. Make sure everyone’s comfortable, you can see each other (and especially the Gamemaster), and everyone can hear each other. If you haven’t access to a dinner table, just find somewhere you can all sit together. These days, of course, you can also play online using chat programs or message boards. Online games usually go a lot more slowly than face-to-face games. Paper, Pencils and Character Sheets: Everyone needs a copy of the character sheet, plus some extra scratch paper for notes, maps, doodles of ray guns and so on. Post-it notes can also be very handy for keeping track of temporary traits, NPCs and so on. Beads or Tokens: Not strictly necessary, but it’s really handy to have some physical way of representing the players’ Story Points and the monster’s Threat Points.

GAMEMASTER

Added Extras: You have everything you need, but you can add to the experience with a few extras – snacks (just some sweets, drinks or fruit or something – you don’t need a lot, after all it’s hard to game with a full plate of fish and chips in front of you and you don’t want to distract from the actual game). However, a few nibbles can keep everyone’s attention fired up.

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You could also add a little mood music, with some soundtrack CDs or moody classical music. Having a few miniature figurines can be fun if your group likes tactical play and combat. Players!: Without players, there’s no game. We’d probably recommend a smaller group with three or four players and a Gamemaster, but you can easily play the game with more or fewer. A single player game is possible, but very different to regular play. Beyond seven players, it’s close to unmanageable – if you’re lucky enough to have eight or more players, we suggest splitting into two groups and getting a second Gamemaster. You could even have characters from one game appear in the other as a “special guest stars” or as part of a special “crossover story”!

Basic Gamemastering The Gamemaster is the glue that binds the game together. They are the eyes and ears of the players, as well as the voice behind the creatures and characters they meet. They are the narrator and the storyteller who brings the world to life with descriptions, imagination and stories. The Gamemaster is the arbiter of decisions and makes the final call on disputes, questions and problems. The Gamemaster does not have a character of their own. Instead the Gamemaster plays or ‘acts out’ the characters of everyone the players meet. The Gamemaster is the storyteller who knows all the secrets of the game, and it’s their job to be mysterious and dynamic, and to keep the pace of the game as exciting as possible. They know what is going on behind the scenes and they act as referee in battles and when a decision needs making on the rules. The Gamemaster is the schemer who creates the fantastic stories the players will experience, and it’s up to the Gamemaster to keep the players on course during their adventures by giving them sufficient clues and to make sure they don’t lose their way or get bored. The Gamemaster is impartial. They do not take sides and should be fair at all times – or at least, make it look that way. In practice, you should make things harder for the players in the middle of the game, when things get out of control and it looks like they’re doomed, and then make it slightly easier at the very end to come to a dramatically satisfying conclusion.

Taking Charge The Gamemaster might be in charge, and what he says goes in a game, but you don’t have to make up everything that happens. By listening to the players you can allow them to create their own adventures. For example, they might be talking about what they are going to do next and by listening to their conversations you can plan ahead to the future. A good Gamemaster is descriptive, creative, energetic, and eager to listen to the players as they work with you to create the story. The plot may not go exactly in the direction you had planned but, with a little improvisation and quick thinking, the story will continue and can easily come back to the plot. It’s important to give the players free reign to do as they please (without being pressured into going in a certain direction) and to give them enough to do without being bored or so much that they feel overwhelmed. Make notes and do your preparation. Being the Gamemaster takes more work, but it’s very rewarding. A bit of preparation goes a long way and if you listen to your players and look where they’re going to be for next week’s session, you can prepare.

Gamemastering

Be Prepared!

Hints & Tips

Just before the players assemble, or the night before, go through the adventure again and make a few notes to keep it fresh in your mind. Think of the various events in the story, highlight them on the pages if you like, and think of the sequence in which they occur. Remember, they could happen out of sequence – you don’t know where the players may go. There’s an old saying – no plan survives contact with the players – but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a plan, it just means that you’ve got to adapt to circumstances.

Be creative. There are lots of ways to create atmosphere in a game. Give your NPCs distinct voices and mannerisms. Chew the scenery!

If the players do go completely off your planned sequence of events, then you’ve got several choices. You can just have their superior or benefactor order them to go back to the main mystery. You can run with what the players are interested in, or even just say to the players ‘guys, I thought you’d be investigating X this week, not Y. I’ve nothing prepared for Y. Let’s go back to X for the moment, and you can follow up on Y next week once I’m ready for it.’

Make The Players Do The Work Where possible, get the players to handle parts of the game. If the group visits the home of one of the player characters, let that player come up with the details. If a character goes off to meet a contact, have her describe where or even who the contact is. Harnessing the players’ creativity makes your job easier and makes the players more invested in the game. Of course, you’ll have to exercise editorial control over some players (‘my character lives in a giant mansion with a vast headquarters in a cavern underneath!’)

Remember that the story is everything. You’re there to have fun and to entertain each other. Don’t let the story you’re telling get bogged down in details. Pay attention to the pace and keep things moving. Listen to the players – sometimes you can let them create the story for you. Don’t force them down a path just because you want them to (or because you’ve worked hard on it) – simply use it at a later date. Challenge the players. Give them hard problems to solve, force them to make difficult choices. Let them win, but make them earn that victory. Use the dice rolls to tell the story. If something unexpected happens, don’t ignore it – work it into the game. Don’t be afraid to improvise. Don’t randomly kill off the player characters, but don’t pull your punches either. The players have Story Points to keep their characters alive – make them use them! Remember to keep the pace of the game going. If the players are stuck, help them out (maybe at the cost of a Story Point), but don’t let the story slow down with them wallowing in confusion.

You can even have a player play a minor non-player character in scenes where his usual PCs is not present. If the players split up and half of them go to the National Museum to do research, then one of the other players can play the snooty curator for a scene.

Stay grounded. The world of pulp fantastic is wild, but part of the fun is keeping it rooted in an approximation of real history. You can make things up, but have a quick look at encyclopaedias and history books first. You’d be amazed at what inspiration you can get from real life events and concepts.

Relax & Have Fun

Make the game exciting. Be mysterious and secretive (without being vague or frustrating).

Some game sessions work perfectly. Others... don’t. There will be times when you can’t come up with an original plot to save your life, or the players figure out your big plot twist two minutes into the game, or all your NPCs come across as cardboard robots, or your big exciting set-piece combat scene falls flat.

Be spontaneous, go with your gut instincts. If it feels right, do it!

Don’t worry about it. As long as the players have fun, it’s all fine – and players are remarkably easy to entertain sometimes. Just don’t let the game drag or have ‘dead air’ where nothing’s happening. If you can’t think of anything else at all, then just have a gang of thugs with guns kick the door open and charge in, right now, no matter where the player characters are.

While the rules are there to allow you to play the game, they are not set in stone and a good Gamemaster should know when to bend them.

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Remember to have fun!

Rules & When To Bend Them Firstly, only call for a dice roll if it’s going to mean something. The pulp fantastic system, with its ‘Yes...And’s and ‘No…But’s means that every dice roll is potentially interesting, but you should still only roll if a) it’s dramatic and b) you can think of a consequence for failure. Don’t make the characters roll to find clues if you’re going to give them those clues no matter what. Don’t make them roll Transport if they’re going to get there anyway. 165

Pulp Fantastic Changing the rules can confuse your players and create problems with your group. If there is a rule you’re unhappy with in the game, make a new ruling and discuss it with the players before you start to play. Announce at the beginning that you’re changing the rules and this will be the way you’re playing. For example, you could say at the beginning of the game, ‘I want the game to be more cinematic so I’m making everything easier. Instead of 12 being the normal Difficulty for any task, I’m making it 9.’ Once you’ve announced the new ruling, stick to it. If it doesn’t work, you can scrap it next time, but if you keep changing the rules every five minutes you’re going to frustrate and confuse the players. Of course, it’s not just the rules that sometimes undergo some bending. Often, dice rolls can be tweaked to keep the game going smoothly. As the Gamemaster, you could roll your dice in the middle of the table, just like the players – that way everyone knows that you’re being fair and playing the game by the rules. If the dice are unlucky and a character gets killed early in the game, it’s not your fault as the Gamemaster, just those pesky dice. However, it does mean that you may have to get creative to either keep the player alive or to allow a new character to join the group to replace the player’s departed character.

GAMEMASTER

You could roll your dice out of the sight of the players. Gamemasters usually hide behind a screen that protects the adventure details from the prying eyes of the players, and a lot of Gamemasters roll behind the screen. The clatter of dice, and then the sucking air noise that the Gamemaster makes to get the players nervous – a little like when you go to a mechanic and they are about to tell you what’s wrong with your car... It means that the dice rolls can be tweaked a little to aid the flow of the story, but it could build distrust from the players. At other times, you may want to ignore the rules for simplicity or drama. If your adventure starts with a player character get abducted by the bad guys, then don’t bother using the combat rules and doing a called shot to the character’s Resolve for a quick knockout – just say ‘you get knocked out’ and give the player a few Story Points as compensation. (Word to the wise – players don’t mind being ‘railroaded’ like that at the start of the game, but don’t do it in the middle of play. You can set the story up in a heavy-handed manner, but don’t try to resolve it that way.) You can also ignore the rules if it is a foregone conclusion. If the players have successfully found and beaten the villain who was the main obstacle in the adventure, don’t make them roll to search his headquarters and his minions. Just cut to the next scene.

Death is not the end… Sooner or later, the inevitable will probably happen in your game – one of the characters will die. Not everyone can have the Immortal Trait, but it doesn’t have to be the end. No-one wants to see their favorite character killed, but… The life of a hero in pulp fantastic is very, very dangerous. The player characters will be menaced, clawed,

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bitten, pounded, beaten, shot, zapped, poisoned, knocked out and battered over the course of the game. That said, player characters shouldn’t die pointlessly. When they do die, it should be an important part of the story. So, let the bad guys hurt the player characters. Make the game dangerous—but let the players use Story Points to avoid pointless, trivial deaths. (And if a character runs into danger without a few Story Points to keep him alive, he deserves everything he gets.) Death should come only when either a player thinks it would be dramatically appropriate and cool if his character died (perhaps in a heroic moment of self-sacrifice) or if the player’s out of Story Points and the character has been beaten down to the point of death, but is going down swinging. It’s important to know when to protect the companions from a senseless death. If a character is killed from a stray bullet, it’s fine to put steps in place to protect them from leaving the game forever. The ‘dead’ character could be taken away, only to be healed by mysterious monks using ancient potions and herbal medicines, or by denizens of lost worlds using advanced medical technology. A good Gamemaster can heighten suspense by having the character taken away while the other players don’t know whether their companion is alive or dead. Ideally, the death of a character should be meaningful and heroic. Character death shouldn’t be too common in the game – after all, while the body count in pulp adventures was frequently high, it was very rare for a notable character to die. Player characters will have Story Points to bail them out of an instant death, or they could heal by taking a Bad Trait to recover from too many smaller wounds. If all this doesn’t keep the characters alive, the first thing is for the player to know that everyone has been playing fair. If they know the Gamemaster hasn’t been cheating, they should feel better – though a bad dice roll can be pretty harsh, at least they weren’t singled out and killed deliberately. If the character really does die, it’s up to the player what they choose to do next. Character death isn’t something that should be taken lightly – on the rare occasions when it happened in the Pulps, it had a powerful effect on the remaining heroes. The death of a comrade should spur the other players into action to ensure they didn’t die in vain while the player creates a new character. Or they could take over one of the more friendly and helpful NPCs in the story until next session – who knows, they may enjoy playing them so much they’ll stick with this character.

DON’T PICK ON A PLAYER Sometimes, it seems like a player is doing everything they can to get their character killed. Just because a player is having their character do something stupid or against the plan for the adventure, it doesn’t mean that you should punish them by killing their character. If they’ve done something stupid, like trying to stop a squad of Nazi storm troopers armed only with a rolled-up copy of Weird Tales and a cellulose comb, they will receive their own punishment just by adhering to the rules. Just roll the dice and let fate do the rest!

Gamemastering

What To Do When Players Are Absent The game doesn’t have to stop when a player is absent. If you’re starting a new adventure this week, then just say that the player character is away or otherwise engaged and can’t be part of the team for this latest adventure. If you finished the last game on a cliffhanger, it’s a bit more of a problem. You could have that character get captured, knocked out or otherwise incapacitated, or you could have another player take on the additional role of the missing player’s character, literally covering for them, but if they do something that is out of character or that the player wouldn’t want them to do, there could be arguments or repercussions later when the player returns. The player should keep the extra character alive and active, but maybe taking a more background role in this session.

Bringing the Game to Life Describing the setting and the action is vital, not only for giving the players a sense of location, but also in making sure the players know what is actually going on. You should describe not only the important elements of the location – where everything is, what it looks like etc, but also some of the less important details. You don’t want to get into the habit of just telling the players what is important – that way they won’t actually think for themselves. For example, if the Gamemaster describes a location like this: “You follow the trail of blood to an abandoned waterfront warehouse. Searching it, you find a huddled corpse in an office near the back of the building. There’s a knife in his chest and a pool of blood all around him. Someone has stepped in the blood, and there’s a trail of footprints heading out the loading door and on to the wharf beyond,” they have given the players all of the necessary information and nothing else. The players know what to do next and haven’t actually done anything themselves.

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The scene would be better described by starting off with the characters arriving at the abandoned warehouse, and letting the players decide how they move through the building. When they get to the office, add extra details, like the stains on the floor and the scent of blood in the air, water dripping down the walls and so on. Instead of telling the players that someone has stepped in the blood, let them examine it, and only tell them about the footprints when they search around. Give the players added information in response to their questions instead of just telling them the important facts in one big monologue. (That said, if the current scene isn’t a very important one and you are running short on time, it’s fine to jump ahead and just tell the players what they discover. Pacing is an art you’ll learn over time.) A good description will not only ensure people know what is around them, but in a dramatic scene where there are multiple characters (or villains and NPCs involved) it also helps them understand where everyone is. This is often a good time to draw a little diagram of the place, so everyone gets it right. If everyone is clear where everyone and ev167

Pulp Fantastic erything is, you don’t have to worry about people arguing “I thought he was over near the kerosene tanks?” or “no, I’m over near the door, not close to the fire.”

Playing Non-Player Characters A major part of your role as Gamemaster is to portray all the characters that the players meet, from victims and witnesses to the characters’ superiors, friends and enemies. Minor characters can be one-note clichés. All you need for them is a name, a small bit of context, and an accent or mannerism to latch onto in play. Something like “Officer Bob Morrison, skeptical police officer, pulls his notebook out whenever he starts a conversation” is enough. You do not even need to work out Attributes, Skills and Traits – just assume that the npc has 2s and 3s in most Attributes. If a character becomes important later on, you can develop him in more detail. It’s a good idea to have a list of random names and traits that you can pull from when you need to come up with a character unexpectedly. Players are always going off track and interrogating unlikely people, so you’ll need to be able to think on your feet and come up with characterizations on the spur of the moment. For major characters like the pc’s superiors, you’ll want to get more into the persona of the npc. Write up a full character sheet for the npc. Come up with a few physical mannerisms or verbal tics to make your portrayal of the npc distinctive, and write out two or three lines of dialogue that exemplify how that npc speaks. You don’t need to keep up verbal tics and sparkling dialogue for a whole scene, as long as your npc makes a strong impression on the players.

GAMEMASTER

When playing villains, make the players hate them or admire them. Dr Fu Manchu is a great example – he’s cold, inhuman and utterly ruthless, but he’s also an honorable man whose word is his inviolable bond. He sticks to his principles, even if they do make him a monster. Other villains may be slimy, conniving, manipulative and megalomaniacal by turns. Your villains should be equally connected to the player characters – shadowy conspiracies lack the bite that comes with a personal connection. (For more tips on creating memorable villains, see page 177)

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Don’t dominate the game with your npcs. The player characters are the heroes – they’re the ones who save the day, solve the mystery and make the big decisions. Your npc are there only to give the player characters information, motivation or opposition.

you can read the character sheets, the dice rolls and the rulebooks without straining your eyes! Of course, for lighter toned games you can keep the lighting fairly bright, or play outside on a sunny day. Music can certainly help. You could use soundtracks editing out any lyrical songs so you don’t have any distractions. You can also obtain ‘stock’ sound effects – having a deafening monster roar ready to play at the press of a button can really put the players on the edge of their seats, and the sound of a locomotive can really add color to that long train journey. (That said – don’t neglect the game by spending ten minutes fumbling with mp3 players and speakers. Only use music and sound effects if you can do so without disrupting the flow of the game.) Props are another easy way to add to the mood. Instead of telling the characters exploring the scene of a crime that they find a manuscript describing bizarre experiments involving Element X, you can print or write out a document and hand it to them (complete with tears and fake blood splatters…)

TELECOMMUNICATIONS Unless they have access to weird-tech wrist radios or some other fancy doodad, the characters will not have the kind of instant personal two-way communications technology that the players are used to. In the world of the Pulp Era, there’s no internet, no cellphones, no wikipedia or google. In the 1920’s and 30’s, communication takes time. Characters will have to rely on fixed telephones, telegrams and the mail, making communication delays a useful plot element for Gamemasters to exploit. When a player is out of contact, you may want to pull that player aside and run some scenes in private. In the normal course of play, you want to keep the number of secret conferences to a minimum, but plots like a character’s Dark Secret really benefit from the other players being kept in the dark for as long as possible.

Experience and Gain

Being a good Gamemaster means paying attention to the theatrics of the game. In addition to describing the scene and the events well, you can make the game far more atmospheric by changing the mood in the room you’re actually in!

Each session, the players are given experience points, reflecting the fact that their characters have learned from their experiences. They can spend these points to increase their abilities. Usually such increases tie into something the character has done during the adventure – have they used a Skill well? Have they shown particular prowess with an Attribute? Have they learned something new during the course of the game? All of these are great questions you should ask yourself before dishing out an increase in Skill or Attribute.

Lighting is one way to change the way the game feels. If you’re playing a particularly spooky adventures you could dim the lights in the room, draw the curtains, have a few table lamps but keep the place dark with plenty of shadows. Moody lighting helps in most mystery settings, as long as

It could be that the character deserves a new Trait, or the removal of a Bad Trait that they have struggled with for a while. Are they braver now than they used to be? Does that mean that they should gain the Brave Trait, or lose their Cowardly Bad Trait?

Atmosphere

Gamemastering Of course, the most common reward will be the restoration of spent Story Points, though on very rare occasions you could allow the character’s maximum Story Points to increase so they can keep more Story Points in between adventures. However, Skills, Attributes, Traits and Story Points are not the only way you can reward your players. In-game rewards are even more important than changing numbers on the character sheet. Let the player characters get a better reputation, invent new gizmos for their headquarters, make new friends and allies. Make the characters part of the world. If they save an npc from a ninja attack and make a connection, bring that npc back as a love interest or a friend (or a troublesome conspiracy theorist). If a character keeps a great ape as a pet, then bring the character’s landlord in as a comic-relief npc. Every adventure should add something new to the story.

The Gamesmaster Is Always Right One of the trickiest parts to Gamemastering is being the referee. You should know the rules well and be comfortable making judgment calls when it comes to those odd circumstances not covered by the rules. The best thing to remember is that the same basic rule can be used for just about anything in the game (Attribute + Skill (+ Trait) + two dice, try to beat the Difficulty). Any problems, make a decision and get on with the story. Try not to stop the game and fumble through the books to find a rule, just run with it. If it’s a bad call, you can always make it up to the players in other ways later by being more lenient on them in a crisis or tweaking the course of the adventure so that they gain something as a reward (see above).

RULES LAWYERS If you don’t like being too official with the rules, and you have a player who really enjoys the accuracy of some rule decisions, why not give them the responsibility of keeping an eye on things? It’ll leave you with the freedom to run the game, and if anything tricky comes up you can get the assigned player to check the rules while you continue. The player who does this shouldn’t be too integral to the plot at that moment, but if their character can take a back seat for a couple of minutes while their player checks some rules, that shouldn’t leave them in too much of a pickle!

There may be times when the players dispute a ruling, and start moaning. It can be difficult, but remember you are in charge. The players should abide by your decisions. If they’re unhappy with it, tell them to continue on and not disrupt the game. Talk to your players after the game. Ask them what they enjoyed, and what they didn’t enjoy. If something isn’t working, change it with Temporal Damage!

Players As Gamemaster, you’ll be there to guide the players through

the creation of their characters (if they’re using their own), and molding the team to the series you have in mind. As you play, you’ll discover some players develop certain styles of gaming. Some like to get straight into the action. Others prefer the moody and emotional high stakes, making their character a deep and developed person. Some players just want to know where the bad guys are so they can shoot at them, while other players may take more of a back seat, spectating more during the game and enjoying the action as others make the major decisions. Some players only want to know what their characters knows, and want the whole game to be as real as possible. Others will want to come up with stories for their character and work with you to put their own character through an emotional wringer. Tailoring the game to your players makes it more fun for everyone. Players usually fall into one of the following categories, although some players are hard to classify and others find two or three styles of play equally fun. Power Gamers: This sort of player wants to make his character stronger, faster and cooler. He’ll zero in on the really powerful Traits like Fast Reflexes and Tough, he’ll probably take Experienced, and he’ll maximize a few skills to be really effective. His character will be less rounded but more effective than others. He wants a game more than a story, and he wants to win that game. Everyone’s got a little Power Gamer in them. Keep Power Gamers happy by giving them experience points and new challenges to overcome. To keep the game from getting overpowered, keep moving the goalposts. Don’t do this abruptly – you’ll really annoy the players by, say, giving them all the best weapons, and then not including any combat in the game ever again. Instead, provide new ways for the Power Gamer to grow his character. If he’s already brilliant at shooting things, start moving the game towards more investigation and mysteries, so he can start building up his character’s Science and Knowledge skills.

10

Over-the-top Power Gamers can play selfishly, neglecting the group in favor of their own ends – they might run off into the Evil Mastermind’s lair to look for weird tech, or betray their organization for profit. Remind the player that the game is about the story of the group, and if he leaves the group, well, the focus won’t include his character very often. Butt-Kickers: These players like combat. They like shooting things, punching things, killing things, and blowing things up. Unlike the Power Gamer, the Butt-Kicker may not make an optimized, super-powerful fighter, but he does like to fight. He’ll probably make a combat-orientated character. Give the Butt-Kicker lots of fights to keep him happy. Tacticians: Some players approach the game as a tactical puzzle to be solved. For them, the best game is one where they overcome all the obstacles in the most efficient way possible. They appreciate complex challenges (‘how do we figure out what the villain wants, stop him, find out where his base is, infiltrate it and get back in time for the 169

Pulp Fantastic fireside chat with FDR?”), but have little patience for characterization, excessive role-playing or goofing around. They want to get the job done. Keep tacticians happy by giving them the problems and puzzles they desire, and by making sure that events unfold logically and in accordance with the ‘rules’ of the real world. Some tacticians go too far, and fall into the trap of “meta-gaming”. They use out-of-character knowledge in the game. Specialists: Some players like to play one type of character over and over. They might like playing sneaky thieves, or charming faces, or manipulative politicians. To keep the specialist happy, give them scenes in the adventure where they get to whatever they like to do. Over-the-top specialists try to make the whole game revolve around their schtick, and complain when they don’t get to do their thing. Try to draw the specialist out of their niche by giving them more stuff to do that leads to them getting to use their specialty. For example, if a player likes playing a sneaky thief, then run a game where he has to infiltrate a party and do lots of role-playing before he can sneak off upstairs and steal back the Element X. Method Actor: This player really likes role-playing and getting into character. They’re less interested in fighting bad guys than in exploring how fighting bad guys affects their character and the world around them. They want scenes that are not about the the villains and their nefarious master-plans, but are just about role playing and character interaction and day-to-day life. Keep the Method Actor happy by giving them such scenes, but make sure they don’t drag on too long – pulp fantastic games are quick-paced!

GAMEMASTER

The danger with Method Actors is that they can prioritize their character’s story over the rest of the group. In such cases, gently remind the player that this is a team game, and the story’s about the group as a whole. Also, make sure that all the characters have a good reason to go off investigating mysteries and risking their lives. Storyteller: Like the method actor, the storyteller’s more interested in role-playing than puzzles or combat. He is less interested in his character’s internal life, and more in the overall plot of the game. They may not care very much about individual monsters, focusing more on the story and the big series arcs. Storytellers want distinctive npcs, interpersonal drama, big mysteries and epic stories. Storytellers can be great for a campaign, as they’re really enthusiastic and want to engage with your adventures. Be careful that they don’t take over the game – in their enthusiasm, they can drown out quieter players. Casual Gamers: Some people enjoy taking a less active role in the game, whereas others simply cannot get a word in – the other players are so keen to get their intended actions heard that it simply drowns out the great ideas that the quiet player may have. First of all, ask the player 170

if they’re okay. If they’re happy taking a back seat and spectating, then that’s fine. If they want to be more involved, that’s where the Gamemaster really comes in. Give the character an essential role in the story, or an extra cool sub-plot. Bring the player out of the background by making their character more active in the story. That way, the player has to become more involved, and the others will have to give them a chance to be heard. The Cheat: The rules are pretty simple in this game, everything being covered by a similar roll. It could be that you have a player who’ll roll their dice where no one can see the results, or they come up with some excuse like “Oh, they didn’t roll properly, I have to roll them again.” It could be that they don’t even cheat the rules, but simply manipulate everyone’s memory of the game and decide that their character isn’t where everyone thought they were, and they may be somewhere else! The best thing to do with this kind of player is to simply keep track of everything – make notes. Bring in a firm ‘table rule’ where everyone has to roll their dice in a clear area in the middle, so everyone can see the results. One roll, no re-rolls. The Rule-monger: At the other end of the spectrum there’s the player who tries to know all of the rules and may try to overrule your decisions by quoting passages from the rulebooks. Luckily, pulp fantastic only really uses one standard rule, so this rule-mongering should not happen often. However, it is expected that rules will be ‘bent’ a little to allow for a smooth running game. Above all, you have the final say as the Gamemaster. Whatever you say goes. If you think you may be wrong you should continue on until there is a natural break in the game and you can read through the books to check upon your decisions. If you were wrong, and made a bad decision, you can make it up to the players in other ways – either by giving them Story Points to make up for the bad call, or you could be a little lenient if the bad ruling meant things will become difficult for them later on. Above all, admit your mistake, but explain what happened and how you’ll make it up to them. Don’t try to hide it, or the players will stop trusting your judgment. As long as everyone has fun, then that’s the key to a good game.

Chapter 11 Pulp Villains

T

he measure of a hero can be found in the quality of his enemies. While the Pulp Era was a time of great heroes, they were opposed by equally great villains. While the majority of pulp magazines were filled with quite mundane menaces – gangsters and the like – occasionally a villain appeared that raised the bar, elevating themselves from a mere enemy to an arch-nemesis. These villains were a match for their enemies; twisted shadows of their opponents in every way as memorable and unique as the heroes they fought. Professor James Moriarty is the classic arch-nemesis, in every way the equal of Sherlock Holmes; a fun-house mirror reflection of the man he could have been. Every great hero has his or her nemesis; John Sunlight, The Master, Shiwan Kahn, Fu Manchu – all great personalities, each with distinct motivations, goals and methods.

Building a Better Villain Playing the villain is one of the great delights of running a Pulp-style role-playing game. Free of the limits of polite society, common sense, decency or empathy, the Pulp villain is a larger than life foil to larger than life heroes.

Motive Even during the era of the Pulps, very few villains are evil simply for the sake of it. Those that are, are driven to it by their very nature. Perhaps they are actual monsters; a resurrected mummy or ancient reincarnated sorcerer-king. Perhaps they’re a bitter golem of stitched-together flesh or a homicidal robot. Or perhaps they’re simply criminally insane, driven mad by the trauma of war, a great loss or simply the memory of being laughed out of the academy. The best villains are those with clear and understandable (if extreme) motives for what they do. Very few Pulp villains really believed they were evil.

The Patriot Though the Pulp Era was one defined by an ever expanding horizon and the desire to see beyond, xenophobia and racism were endemic. The strange and the exotic was fascinating, and paradoxically scary, to the average pulp reader. While many pulp villains were base caricatures of racist stereotypes, there were those who were portrayed as patriots; honourable men driven to extremes by the desire to protect their lands and their people from the

perceived predations of Western civilisation. Many were more than mere ideologues, having suffered terrible personal losses at the hands of Westerners, and determined to either revenge themselves or ensure that no other should suffer as they should. Perhaps the most notable patriotic arch-villain is Fu Manchu, a man who saw the cultural collision of East and West as a war that threatened to destroy his land and heritage unless he saw to it that his people dominated. In many ways, the patriotic villain is the mirror image of the patriotic hero, made his enemy only by an accident of birth and geography.

The Thrill-Seeker The need to overcome boredom and ennui is the reason many pulp villains take up arms against the forces of justice. These men and women have exhausted the opportunities for diversion offered by the mundane world, and now they quicken their pulses and bring meaning to their otherwise empty existence by risking life, limb and liberty gambling for the highest stakes of all. Very often their tremendous natural gifts of intelligence or riches make this the only challenge remaining. These villains are often extremely dangerous, due to their unpredictability and their willingness to risk it all on a single, wild chance. Many have been known to initiate dangerous schemes, only to go down in flames laughing at the spectacle as they burn.

The Quester Some villains do bad things for the sake of knowledge; because they seek forbidden truths, dangerous science and Things That Man Was Not Meant To Know. In a time when broadcast media and print were bringing the wonders of science to the masses, it seemed that there was no limit to what mankind might achieve, and many pulp writers explored the dark consequences of that possibility. They presented scientists driven by the need to conquer death, to defy God and create life, to dabble with the forces of creation and build weapons capable of unmaking the world. These men and women refused to be bound by the strictures of society, law and morality (and occasionally the laws of physics as well), becoming renegades in their pursuit of the power to know the unknowable. Questers weren’t limited to dangerous science. The pulps are full of driven mystics, drawn to the dark side by the lure of black and ancient mysteries, by the possibilities

Pulp Fantastic hinted at in forbidden and blood-soaked manuscripts of unholy provenance. Questers often start off as noble characters, before becoming corrupted by the dark secrets they uncover and the things they must do to obtain that knowledge, proving the adage about the road to Hell being paved with good intentions. Perhaps the best example is H.P. Lovecraft’s character Herbert West, who begins as a doctor seeking to extend life and save humanity from the spectre of death, and ends a murderer and a ghoul destroyed by his own resentful creations.

The Empire-Builder These villains are victims of their own vaunting ambition; the king-makers and empire-builders. Like the patriotic villain, they often take responsibility for their fellows, but the empire-builder tends to see them more as property than those who need to be protected. Empire-builders range from the petty to the truly ambitious. They can be gang leaders seeking to expand or hold their turf, to corrupt politicians trying to gain control of City Hall, from generals with an eye on control of their country or madmen who want to hold the globe in the palm of their gloved hand. This kind of villain has a tendency to be well-organised, well-funded and ostentatious. Power is no fun unless you can use it, and its no fun using it unless people know about it. Ego is a driving force behind empire-builders, and they can often be extremely cruel, deriving great enjoyment from crushing their opponents through overwhelming force.

GAMEMASTER

The Glory Hunter Some villains aren’t necessarily bad, they just love a good fight. For them, the prize at the end of a battle isn’t really what motivates them, its the battle itself. Glory Hunters need to test themselves physically against the most worthy opponents – usually, the heroes. These villains are often defined by a sense of sportsmanship and respect for their enemies. Not for them the inescapable death-trap, the waves of ninjas or the carefully concealed car-bomb. Such things are unworthy, and just a little cowardly. No, its not enough for the Glory Hunter to simply defeat the heroes; he has to face them on an equal footing, to risk defeat and be seen to win. These villains are in many ways the most reasonable, as they will often concede defeat and step away from a battle when it becomes clear they’re losing, only to return another day with a new and more elaborate game to play.

Just Plain Bad For all our explorations of villain motivations, some are just plain bad. Whether they’re driven by a head full of bad wiring, a corrupt ideology, greed, lust, sadism or just a perverse desire to watch the world burn, these are the villains that player characters will end up hating. There is no depth to which they will not sink and no act too vile. 172

Those who are just plain bad may be charming, urbane and educated or brutish, stupid and crude, but they are all vicious, unprincipled, spiteful and malicious. Since these villains have almost no motivation other than being evil and / or insane, they are usually defined by their methodology. They deal death in obscure and horrible ways, and often have a signature weapon or modus operandi. Perhaps the best example of this is Dr Jack Quartz, who opposed detective Nick Carter for over thirty years. Quartz, a genteel, charming and intelligent man, was utterly without morality or conscience and had a passion for vivisecting human beings in a number of cruel and grotesque ways. And once said “I like beautiful girls. I like to cut them up. It is my passion.” Villains of the just plain bad variety are the most likely to return from “certain death”, as they are often so horrible that players won’t rest until they’ve seen the villain dead.

BAIT & SWITCH Gamemasters should be aware that the archetypes in this chapter are purely there for inspiration. One technique you may find useful is the “Bait and Switch”, whereby the players believe that their latest opponent is one kind of villain, only to find he’s another kind entirely. For instance, they may be investigating an evil cult that murders those who stand in their way with magic, only to find that they’re actually run by a Mad Scientist who is using his Weird Technology to do the killings. Another technique is the “Mix and Match”, where the Gamemaster confronts the heroes with a team of villains, carefully crafted to complement each other’s strengths and counter their weaknesses. Pulp villains rarely work alone, so it makes sense to select one villain as the main leader, and feature the others as trusted lieutenants.

Villain Archetypes The Foreign Mastermind One of the most popular and enduring Pulp archetypes, the Foreign Mastermind or Sinister Oriental is the personification of our fear of the strange and the unknown. He represents both our fascination with, and our fear of, the exotic. Traditionally he is a superior Chinese crime lord; a master manipulator and arch conspirator who uses his genius, ruthless cunning and array of fanatical minions to pursue his goals, whatever they might be. The stereotype of the eerie criminal genius, with his strange ways and alien outlook, pre-dates the Pulp era by nearly half a century, arising from the xenophobic view of the East by the West. Chinese immigrants were viewed as racially and socially impure, an insidious threat seeking to overrun the West. Often they were regarded as fanatics and portrayed as drug-using sexual deviants who lusted after white women, while positive portrayals were restricted to humble, simple-hearted peasants.

Pulp Villains Perhaps the most famous Foreign Mastermind is the brilliant and ruthless Dr Fu Manchu, a gifted chemist with a genius for natural toxins and horrible biological weapons, motivated not by greed or power but by a desire to thwart Western Imperialism. Other notable masterminds included Pao Tcheou, the “Master of the Invisible”; Kiang Ho, the Submarine Pirate; Dr Yen How, “The Yellow Danger”; Quong Lung, the ruler of San Francisco’s Chinatown; Shiwan Kahn; Mr King, the “Yellow Claw”; Dr Chu Lung; Li Shoon; Ssu Hsi Tze, the “Ruler of Vermin”; Dr Yen Sin and his doppelganger the mysterious Wu-Fang; and Ming the Merciless. The Foreign Mastermind prefers to act through his minions and maybe a trusted lieutenant, rarely getting his hands dirty himself, though he is often quite physically capable. Where he excels, however, is in the creation of terrible tortures, vile deathtraps and horrific means of murder. Fu Manchu himself commanded the dread assassins of the Celestial Order of the Si-Fan and had a formidable knowledge of rare venomous creatures, poisonous plants, virulent bacilli and deadly fungi, all imported from the “mysterious East”. Note that the Foreign Mastermind need not necessarily be Oriental. While the most notable examples are Chinese, Western incarnations included Doctor Nikola (European) and Dr Jack Quartz (American). A quirk of the Foreign Mastermind is that most of them are men of their word and have a certain sense of honor. He also has an uncanny knack for escaping certain death. Note: Gamemasters planning to use the Foreign Mastermind – an embodiment of racist fears and attitudes – need to be careful to avoid offending their more sensitive modern players.

Siwang Lung – The Death Dragon Little is known of the true history of the master criminal and terrorist known to the world’s governments as Siwang Lung – the infamous “Death Dragon”. Few know anything of the man himself, and even fewer speak of him. Those who do so unwisely rarely live long enough to repeat the error. One legend persists, however, and it is given some level of credence by those who have fought the Death Dragon and lived, though if true the implications are far-reaching indeed. Indeed, given the events of 1901, the story appears to have more than a passing basis in truth… The legend tells of an unnamed Chinese alchemist who lived near the city of Kaifeng many centuries past. This alchemist was skilled in the healing arts, but not wise in the ways of man. In visiting the home of the local lord, he was unwise enough to meet and fall in love with the lords beautiful young wife. In their stolen moments together she told the alchemist of her husbands dreadful treatment of her, of his cruelty and frequent beatings. Outraged, the alchemist gave the young wife a potion to administer to her husband, that would ensure for him a swift death. In the morning the lord was dead, and the alchemist believed that he and his lover would soon be wed. This was not

to be however, and the lords men came for the alchemist soon after. At the lords palace, the alchemist was accused of murder by none other than the lords widow, and the alchemist slowly realised that he had been used. While awaiting execution the young alchemist used his skills to drug his jailers and escape. He fled to the nearby mountains, where he lived as a hermit, hunting in the wilderness and bartering his healing skills to the peasants for food when he could. It was while he was hunting in the mountains that he came across the sky craft. Details vary between different tellings of the legend, but the common elements tell of the discovery of a ship from the stars, half-buried in the side of the mountain and surrounded by the distorted bodies of the crew, tentacled beasts similar to the devil-fish encountered in the South China Sea. Tracks in the snow led the alchemist to a cave, where he encountered the last survivor of the crash, injured and dying due to some respiratory infection. Recognising the creature’s intelligence, the alchemist nursed it back to health using his knowledge of the healing arts and the blood of stolen sheep and goats. Through strange dreams he absorbed the secret of communicating with the strange creature, and soon learned that it was like him, a scientist, sent to earth to assess the planet’s suitability for colonisation. The alchemist learned much through his dreams as the creature filled him with the science and skills necessary to keep it alive in a hostile environment. Together they salvaged much of the sky craft’s technology, and built a home above the snow line, where the cold kept the creature protected from most of the ailments that could prove fatal to it. In order to allow him to aid it more efficiently, the creature taught the alchemist the principles of its alien science and the operating procedures of its equipment. It taught him much of the science of it’s homeworld, including how to alter the fabric of life and bend it to his will, to create or cure disease organisms and to improve and adapt the flesh of living things. The alchemist used these techniques on the only experimental subject he had available – himself - to improve his health, strength and durability, enhancing his mind and extending his life-span.

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Returning to their stronghold after a hunting expedition, the alchemist came across his companion in the midst of a hunters encampment. The hunters had strayed too close to the cave, and the creature had slaughtered them all. What horrified the alchemist was the fact that the creature was drinking them, gorging itself on their life-blood. In it’s ecstasy, the creature’s thoughts were revealed to the alchemist in all their alien horror. In it’s mind were visions of conquest, of humanity bred as cattle for the consumption by their alien masters. Aghast, the alchemist slew the creature before retreating to his mountain fastness to ponder what he had seen. No longer a simple alchemist, the young man knew that the creature’s companions would eventually turn their hungry eyes towards earth once more, and when that happened mankind would have to be united in their response or fall beneath the might of a superior force. Hardened by his experiences in the mountains, the young man reasoned that humanity itself could be toughened and moulded into a weapon with which to protect the planet against the alien invaders. To succeed, mankind would need to be tended, with weakness173

Pulp Fantastic es pruned away as if by a careful gardener. Morality, compassion and infirmity were all things humanity would not be able to afford in a future under threat by conquerors from the stars. In that moment, the young alchemist was no more, and in his stead rose Siwang Lung, the Death Dragon. How much of the legend is true is unknown, but it does explain much about Siwang Lung’s methods, resources and abilities.

GAMEMASTER

4

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

6

Presence:

5

Resolve:

5

Strength:

4

Skills: Athletics 3, Convince 2, Craft 2, Fighting 4, Knowledge 4, Marksman 2, Medicine 4, Science 3, Subterfuge 3, Survival 3, Technology 4, Transport 2 Traits:

Today Siwang Lung appears to be a tall, athletically built man of Chinese extraction, with long black hair, and piercing green eyes. He is physically fit, apparently in his late thirties and impressively adept in the martial arts. Well-educated and highly cultured, he wields a formidable intellect and has a grasp of the sciences decades beyond the current era, with a focus on biology, pharmacology and eugenics.

Fast Healer (Special Good Trait) Siwang Lung heals extremely quickly due to his alchemical experimentation.

For at least fifty years, and perhaps much, much longer, Siwang Lung has been a threat to the West, believing civilisation, democracy and modernisation to be weakening humanity, robbing it of the skills and fortitude to survive a harsh future. In opposing this, he has employed horrible diseases, plagues of insects, venomous lizards, natural toxins and a host of other, even stranger biological weapons. He considers himself a whetstone, against which the blade of mankind will be sharpened for the war to come. Curiously, when the Martians invaded in 1901, China was apparently well-prepared and suffered comparatively few casualties.

Immortal (Major Good Trait) Siwang Lung’s longevity is legendary.

Around the start of the 20th Century, Siwang Lung seized control of the remnants of the Tong of the Black Scorpion after the demise of their previous leader in the sewers of London. Under his leadership, the Tong has become an international force for evil, an army of religious fanatics ready to kill and be killed at his merest whim.

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Awareness:

Siwang Lung operates globally, with strongholds in almost every nation on earth. He is accompanied at all times by Omar, a hulking Turkish body guard fanatically devoted to his master and by Saber, a massive grey wolf with which he appears to have some strange form of rapport. At times he is also seen with his daughter, the beautiful and deadly “Poison Blossom”, Du Kai Hua. Note: The Death Dragon is a formidable opponent, and should not be used lightly. He rarely takes a hand in the action himself, so create some trusted lieutenants and named henchmen for him for the players to test their strength against before letting them take a crack at the man himself. Quote: “The decadent West must fall so that mankind can survive!”

Gadgeteer (Major Good Trait) Siwang Lung is a skilled alchemist and biologist. Hypnosis (Major Good Trait) The Death Dragon is a master hypnotist.

Indomitable (Major Good Trait) The Death Dragon has unquenchable willpower. Martial Artist (Major Good Trait) Years of practice have made the Death Dragon a formidable fighter. Minions (Major Good Trait) Siwang Lung can call on fanatical minions on a moments notice. More Than Human (Special Good Trait) Siwang Lung is more than human due to alchemy and alien science. Obsession (Major Bad Trait) Siwang Lung is obsessed with tempering humanity. Pet (Major Good Trait) The Death Dragon is accompanied everywhere by Saber. Psychic (Special Good Trait) Siwang Lung can read minds with effort. Psychic Training (Minor Good Trait) Siwang Lung can resist hypnosis and psychic trickery. Resourceful Pockets (Minor Good Trait) Concealed within his robs are any number of useful gadgets and tools. Tough (Major Good Trait) The Death Dragon is extremely robust. Voice of Authority (Minor Good Trait) Siwang Lung is a natural leader. Total Character Points: 86 Story Points: 12

Pulp Villains

The Mad Scientist Perhaps the most recognizable Pulp archetype, the Mad Scientist is the personification of our fear that science and technology will outstrip our ability to control it. The Mad Scientist is utterly devoted to his field of study, to the exclusion of all else. For him the pursuit of scientific truth overrides everything, including decency, morality and the sanctity of human life. Sometimes he has convinced himself that the benefits to mankind brought by his discoveries are worth the cost of a few paltry lives. Other times he simply no longer cares, driven by rage at his humiliation by his peers, or by the knowledge that he is an intellectual giant amongst pygmies. Though Mad Scientists could probably make a fortune from the fruits of their genius, they seem to prefer raising funds through elaborate robberies and other criminal enterprises, or by work for hire for other villains. Most of the time they care very little for the consequences or cost of these crimes – they’re a means to an end, and where the Mad Scientist is concerned, the end always justifies the means. What those ends are varies from Mad Scientist to Mad Scientist. Some seek the the forbidden secrets of life and death, others desire to penetrate between dimensions. Some build robots or monsters, others build rays or planet-cracking devices. Some are obsessed with advancing human evolution, while others are convinced mankind is a dead-end and plan to replace us with something...

better. None care much for the consequences of their actions, and almost all consider themselves engaged in a personal conflict with a universe that hoards its secrets jealously. In the Pulps, Mad Scientists often have beautiful daughters. Sometimes these are innocents, ready to fall head over heels for a handsome hero, while others can be more villainous. On rare occasions they are more gifted than their parents, and just as insane. Mad Scientists tend to be old, male, cackle gleefully and have wild hair, though the Gamemaster might enjoy subverting those expectations with one who is young, female, sober, well-groomed and lucid…right up until she happily explains why it’s necessary to drill holes in a hero’s head.

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Mad Scientists tend to be masters of wild technology, but they don’t all have to be inventors. Variants can be Mad Biologists or Monster Makers, Mad Chemists (or Alchemists), Mad Psychologists, even Mad Sociologists. For a villain with a twist, a Mad Occultist might make an interesting change of pace, using arcane ritual and ancient artifacts instead of high technology. Examples of the Mad Scientist include such worthies as; Herbert West, Re-Animator; Victor Frankenstein; Crawford Tillinghast in From Beyond; Dr Impossible and Baron Ether from Soon I Will Be Invincible; Dr Henri Moreau; Dr Hawley Griffin, the Invisible Man and Dr Henry Jekyll. Other villains, such as Fu Manchu and Professor James Moriarty combine elements of the Mad Scientist with the purpose and willpower of a crime lord. 175

Pulp Fantastic

Doktor Todeskopf Even among Mad Scientists, the arch-villain known as Doktor Todeskopf is considered extraordinary.

GAMEMASTER

Born in Switzerland in the year 1876, Maximilian Weisskopf was the only son of an unremarkable watchmaker. A sickly child who was not expected to live beyond infancy, the boy made up for what he lacked in physical health with his indomitable will and prodigious intelligence. Records of his early life are scarce, but it appears that Maximilian’s intellect developed at remarkable speed. Through the patronage of a local priest, the boy was allowed access to scholarly libraries, which he devoured at an astounding rate. Recognizing that the boy’s mind was unique and would rebel at normal schooling, the priest took young Maximilian to the University of Zurich, where their study of his apparently unique mind would in turn enable him to study whatever he wanted. Maximilian grew up surrounded by academics and scientists, absorbing everything he could learn from them, occasionally turning other fields of research on their heads as he synthesized new theories.

In the months following the end of the Martian invasion, many horrible discoveries were made in the alien installations and encampments. The public already know about the Martian habit of feeding on human blood, and there has been some speculation in scientific circles about the purpose of the experiments conducted on human prisoners in the Martian slave-camps. What was kept from the public was the awful truth about the research installation the Martians buried beneath Wimbledon Common. Within, horrified investigators discovered a charnel pit filled to the brim with corpses, each with the top of its skull neatly sliced away and the brain removed. One of these was identified as the mortal remains of Maximilian Weisskopf. Worse were the strange glass tubes, each filled with thick, green liquid and containing a single, pulsing human brain.

When Maximilian was ten his parents both died of influenza, and he became a ward of the University. Apparently uninterested in making friends of his own age, he continued to associate with the staff, aware that they were studying him as much as he was studying everything and anything that interested him. He became particularly fascinated by mathematics, chemistry, physics and engineering, though he also studied music and the growing fields of what would come to be known as psychology and sociology.

Over a period of months the tubes and their apparently living contents were carefully shipped to the Royal Institute for Special Scientific Inquiry at Lemuel House in Kent, a thinly-veiled front for the War Office. There the tubes and their life-support equipment, the Martian fighting machines and other remnants of their technology, all underwent a rigorous program of study in an attempt to uncover the principles of their operation and perhaps even reverse engineer them.

At the age of twelve, Maximilian Weisskopf obtained his first degree. By fifteen he had obtained three more. By eighteen, he was awarded a doctorate in mathematics. Curiously few records of his time at University have survived, but letters and journals from the time describe him as a thin, wiry young man with a shock of dark hair and intense, almost feverish eyes. One professor describes him as “a young man being consumed from within by the power of a mind trapped in a body almost too weak to contain it”.

Though breakthroughs were made, progress was slow, and the years passed and turned into decades. As time went on, the brains all slowly failed and died. All except one. One brain seemed to thrive while the others withered, almost as if the lack of a physical form had somehow freed it to reach its full potential.

It was at the age of twenty-five that Weisskopf’s behaviour seems to have changed. Having spent several months apparently attempting to develop a suite of equations with which human behaviour could be modelled and even predicted, young Weisskopf seemed to suffer some sort of emotional breakdown. Becoming melancholy and withdrawn, Weisskopf locked himself away in his rooms at the University for a period of several weeks, before emerging, packing his bags, claiming his inheritance – his parents had managed to save a small sum of money for him that he’d previously shown no interest in – and travelling to England. It was discovered afterwards that Weisskopf had burned every piece of paper in his rooms. In England the young man spent weeks travelling the length and breadth of the land, talking with scientists, philosophers and statesmen, though the nature of these conversations has never been revealed. Whatever it was that Weisskopf was trying so feverishly to do, other events

176

soon overtook him when, in 1901, the Martian invasion began. Weisskopf was in London when the first cylinders fell, and witness accounts place him at some of the worst incidents of Martian aggression. Indeed, it seems highly coincidental that wherever he was seen, the Martian tripods seemed to appear soon after, as if they were actively pursuing him.

With the outbreak of the Great War, the study and observation of the apparently undying brain was put aside in favor of unlocking the secret of the Martian Heat Ray and the dreaded Black Smoke. When this failed, the Institutes resources were allocated elsewhere, and the research wing was sealed up. Locked in a store room, the brain was all but forgotten. In the face of massive casualties on the front lines, Lemuel House was re-tasked as a hospice for shell-shocked and hopelessly maimed officers, its former use apparently forgotten. By the end of the War, the building housed almost three hundred patients, almost all of them severely traumatised by shell-shock or rendered nearly catatonic by the horrors they witnessed in the trenches. In 1919, doctors at the hospice started to note a rise in the number of nocturnal disturbances amongst the patients, with several of them being found wandering around the grounds, apparently in some kind of somnambulistic trance. By 1920 it was revealed that a number of patients had gone entirely missing, while one – a young infantry-

Pulp Villains man from Leeds – was heard speaking what was later identified as German, a language he had previously been completely unfamiliar with. In June, 1920, a riot erupted amongst the previously docile patients. In the aftermath, it was discovered that fifty patients had vanished during the melee. Further, someone had used the riot to cover the fact that they had broken into the sealed research wing of the building and made off with the surviving brain and its support equipment, as well as a substantial amount of recovered Martian technology. Over the next few months, a series of bizarre thefts occurred, thefts that targeted medical, scientific and chemical apparatus. Thefts conducted by a band of well-trained, highly coordinated and utterly silent men. Not long after that, the Radium Men were sighted for the first time, armored robotic warriors controlled by sophisticated, adaptable programming. At the same time, the silken but strangely hollow tones of the being that called himself Doktor Todeskopf filled the airwaves. Todeskopf’s broadcasts consisted of rambling discourses on the cancer of war and the perfectibility of mankind through science into beings eternal, incorruptible and indestructible. The true meaning – and horror – of this manifesto was only revealed when one of the Radium Men was successfully captured and dismantled, revealing a lobotomised human brain within. The creature that now calls itself Doktor Todeskopf is the mad, disembodied brain of the genius prodigy Maximilian Weisskopf, freed from his sickly body and augmented with stolen Martian technology. Intended to become part of the Martians systems, Todeskopf has surpassed and usurped them, becoming something close to immortal but driving himself utterly insane in the process. Worse, he believes that humanity must join him if it is to survive the wars and future terrors that his equations have predicted, whether they like it or not...

Quote: “Forgive me for not shaking hands. As you can see, I am somewhat…indisposed.” Awareness:

4

Coordination:

−

Ingenuity:

6

Presence:

1

Resolve:

7

Strength:

−

Skills: Convince 2, Craft 4, Knowledge 4, Medicine 4, Science 4, Subterfuge 3, Technology 4 Traits: Clairvoyance (Special Good Psychic Trait) Todeskopf’s psychic awareness ranges across the planet. Dependency (Major Bad Trait) As a disembodied brain Todeskopf is dependent on his life-support tank. Gadgeteer (Major Good Trait) Todeskopf is adept at creating weird technology. Hypnosis (Major Good Trait) Todeskopf’s inhuman will can dominate others. Impaired Senses (Minor Bad Trait) Todeskopf is dependent on low-resolution visual and audio devices. Minions 2 (Major Good Trait) Todeskopf commands the steel legions of the Radium Men. Possess (Special Good Psychic Trait) Todeskopf can possess those he controls. Psychic (Special Good Trait) Todeskopf can sense the thoughts of those around him. Technically Adept (Minor Good Trait) Todeskopf is a technological genius. Telekinesis (Special Good Psychic Trait) Todeskopf can move objects with the power of his mind.

11

Telepathy (Special Good Psychic Trait) Todeskopf is a powerful telepath. Weird Tech (Major Good Trait) Todeskopf has modified and enhanced his life-support tank. Total Character Points: 61 Story Points: 8

177

Pulp Fantastic

Radium Man Quote: “ELIMINATE. ELIMINATE. ELIMINATE!” Awareness:

2

Coordination:

2

Ingenuity:

2

Presence:

3

Resolve:

2

Strength:

7

Skills: Convince 2, Fighting 3, Marksman 2, Technology 4 Traits: Armor (Special Good Creature Trait) The Radium Man’s thick armor plate reduces damage done to it by 10 (Coordination penalty already applied). Dependency (Minor Bad Trait) Radium Men must recharge daily. Environmental (Major Good Creature Trait) Radium Men suffer no environmental ill-effects. Fear Factor 3 (Special Good Creature Trait) Radium Men are terrifying up close. Networked (Minor Good Trait) All Radium Men are linked by radio waves. Impaired Senses (Minor Bad Trait) The Radium Men have low-resolution visual and audio devices. Robot (Special Good Trait) Technically they aren’t robots, but as surgically modified brains installed in iron bodies they might as well be. Slow-Moving (Minor Bad Creature Trait) Due to their mass, Radium Men are relatively slow and lumbering. In chases their Speed is reduced to 1. Total Character Points: 37 Story Points: 3

GAMEMASTER

The Cult Leader

178

It’s a wicked, sinful world, and it’s only going to get worse. God has turned his back on mankind, and the End Times can’t be very far away. The world is changing faster and faster every day, and many people find change very scary indeed. Into this mix strides the Cult Leader, a charismatic figure holding secret knowledge, promising salvation for those who follow his word.

His personality, motives and methods will vary according to the nature of the cult and the truth behind it. Cultists who worship a Eldritch Abomination and wish to free their deity to feast upon the world are very different from those who worship a devil (or the Devil) and wish to increase their personal power and wealth. In the Pulps, cults tend to fall into one of the following categories; Apocalypse Cult: The End of Days is upon us, and these cults see it as their duty to help their god or gods bring an end to us all and make the world anew. Apocalypse Cults often have some insane plan for mass murder, triggered by a supposedly supernatural omen, like a comet or supernova. Revival: This cult is based on an old – presumably extinct - religion, and may even make claims to be a direct continuation or secret survival. Sometimes these cults seek to take revenge on those responsible for the extinction of their faith in earlier times. Space Gods: These cults tend to be based on supernatural interpretations of dubious archaeological data, using them as evidence that mankind was visited in the past (and may even have been engineered by) vastly powerful visitors from another world. Often cults of this kind have apocalyptic leanings, promising that the faithful will be taken up to live forever in their alien paradise – frequently after a mass suicide. Adventists: This cult is usually a radical splinter group of an existing religion, based around the return to Earth or rebirth of a messianic religious figure such as Jesus Christ (most often in the form of the Cult Leader himself, but frequently in the form of an easily controllable dupe). Dark Cult: This cult worships or believes something truly evil. This could be Satan, an Anti-God, or an Eldritch Abomination. Cults of this kind are the most dangerous – with their twisted beliefs and inverted morality, Dark Cultists have little or no self-restraint and have a sadistic love of murder and mayhem. Use the system for Group Traits (page 115) to build your cult. NOTE: The Cult Leader can be used for any fanatical leader pushing an agenda. Period examples include fascists, communists or other political extremists.

The Black Lama

The Cult Leader may be a charlatan or possess genuine arcane knowledge, but his true power comes from those who follow him, devoting themselves to his cause and fanatically willing to follow his every command. They bring him wealth, power and status, and make him a dangerous and unpredictable opponent.

Just as Buddhism has its Tulkus, reincarnated enlightened beings (Bodhisattvas) who postpone the achievement of Nirvana in order to help enlighten others, so darker faiths have darker tulkus; malign spirits filled with evil knowledge, who return again and again from death to spread corruption and wickedness in the world.

Cult Leaders are extremely flexible villains, able to fill almost any niche the Gamemaster wants. The Cult Leader could be the high priest of some blasphemous religion, worshipping the Devil or some monstrous ancient god (who may or may not actually exist). He may be a clever con-man or illusionist, or possess genuine occult power.

Such is – so legend says - the Black Lama, the dread leader of the Mara Brotherhood. Whenever the current Black Lama dies, the Brotherhood spreads out across the globe, searching for the one who is the Lama reborn, looking for the spiritual darkness that signals the return of a monstrous evil. The current Black Lama is a young Tibetan man in his

Pulp Villains early twenties, with delicate features, a slight build and shaven head. His manner is gentle and polite at all times, though his eyes are entirely black, revealing the spiritual corruption within. Gifted with psychic powers beyond comprehension and accompanied at all times by fanatical shadow monks who would lay down their lives to defend him, the Black Lama is a skilled martial artist, having inherited the fighting skills of a thousand lifetimes. The Black Lama rarely needs to leave his stronghold in the Black Lamasery of Agharthi, preferring to work at a distance through the adherents of the Mara Brotherhood of his own psychic abilities. Quote: “Why should the only saints belong to your pale god? The only miracles? Hell has its holy men too, evil its miracles.”

Awareness:

4

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

6

Presence:

5

Resolve:

9

Strength:

4

Skills: Convince 4, Fighting 4, Knowledge 4, Medicine 3, Science 2, Survival 2 Traits: Astral Travel (Major Good Psychic Trait) The Black Lama can cast his mind out into the world. Clairvoyance (Special Good Psychic Trait) The eyes of the Black Lama see all. Cloud Men’s Minds (Major Good Psychic Trait) The Black Lama can pass unseen when he wishes. Immortal (Major Good Creature Trait) The Black Lama is reborn again and again. Martial Artist (Major Good Trait) The Black Lama draws from lifetimes of experience as a fighter. Minions (Major Good Trait) The fanatics of the Mara Brotherhood are the Black Lama’s to command. More Than Human (Special Good Trait) The Black Lama is a dark tulku. Obligation (Major Bad Trait) The Black Lama is in service to dark powers. Possess (Special Good Psychic Trait) The weak can be enslaved to the will of the Black Lama. Precognition (Special Good Psychic Trait) Visions of the future are granted to the Black Lama. Psychic (Special Good Trait) The Black Lama can read minds.

11

Psychic Training (Minor Good Trait) The Black Lama is adept in the psychic arts. Telekinesis (Special Good Psychic Trait) The Black Lama can move objects with the power of his mind. Telepathy (Special Good Psychic Trait) The Black Lama communicates with his followers across the globe by thought transference. Weakness (Major Bad Trait) The Black Lama is an unholy being, and is weakened in the presence of holy artifacts and true faith. Well Traveled (Minor Good Trait) The Black Lama has existed through many lives and acquired much experience. Total Character Points: 71 Story Points: 8

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Pulp Fantastic

The Anti-Villain Perhaps one of the most perplexing villain-types presented in the Pulps, the Anti-Villain is a bad guy with heroic ideals, motivations and virtues. What they want is ultimately good, but they go about it in the wrong way, resulting in collateral damage and misery. “You can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs,” is the motto of most Anti-Villains. Alternatively, the Anti-Villain could well have evil aims, but goes about achieving them in a reasonably ethical and honourable way, seeking to minimise casualties - direct and indirect – as much as possible. Of all the villain archetypes, the Anti-Villain is the one most likely to be persuaded into a temporary alliance with the heroes when things risk getting out of control. While they may be “better” than normal villains and often appear to be reaching for redemption, they almost never completely defect to the side of the angels, often believing that their sins can never be forgiven and prefer “to rule in Hell rather than serve in Heaven”. Despite this vein of decency and honor, Anti-Villains are no less dangerous than any other villain, and may in fact be more so due to their unpredictability. Most heroes don’t quite know what to do when their opponents don’t provide easy reasons for their extermination. Anti-Villains are often quite respectful of the heroes, regarding them as “worthy opponents” and expressing regret for their inevitable doom. Some Anti-Villains are a law unto themselves, aware that the world may view their actions as evil, but believing themselves to have evolved beyond the limits of conventional morality

The Pulp Nazi

GAMEMASTER

Nazis make great villains. They represent something utterly vile; a repugnant philosophy with no redeeming features, a nearly faceless horde of endless thugs who can be killed off in waves without the heroes having to trouble their consciences over-much. Though they’re now seen as the quintessential Pulp villain, the Nazis actually featured in surprisingly few pulps, coming in toward the end of the Pulp Era, when World War II paper shortages killed off most of the magazines. Where they did appear, they were limited to military action pulps, spy thrillers and the aviation magazines. For the most part, Pulp publishers preferred to avoid real-world politics wherever possible, preferring to import thinly-veiled fascist counter-parts from imaginary Balkan countries. Nazi villains are for the most part a modern invention, created for Pulp pastiches like The Rocketeer and the Indiana Jones movies. In reality, since many real Nazis – including Adolf Hitler - appeared every bit as bizarre as the villains of the pulps, very few Nazi arch-villains appeared in fiction. Though Pulp-style Nazi villains tend to be over-blown and 180

gimmicky, unless they’re being played for comic effect they remain competent and ruthless enemies, wellequipped and driven by a quietly fanatical faith in the manifest destiny of the Third Reich. Unlike many other villains, Pulp Nazis are usually capable combatants; though they have minions to do their dirty work, they often relish the chance to prove their “Aryan superiority” by engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the heroes. Pulp Nazis tend to come in a number of varieties, which can be mixed and matched according to taste; The Sadistic Interrogator: Most often a member of the Gestapo or the SS, this villain is usually slender and softly spoken, with cold blue eyes glittering behind his wireframed spectacles. Dressed in a dark grey suit and a black leather overcoat he rarely takes his black leather gloves off, unless it is to strike a helpless victim with them. He loves his work, licking his thin lips with anticipation of the unspeakable torments he will soon inflict upon the heroes, and occasionally giggling inappropriately. For some reason the Sadistic Interrogator often speaks as though slightly short of breath. He never loses his temper or raises his voice, and even the most hideous threats are made in a chillingly veiled manner. The Reluctant Nazi: If the heroes are in the habit of dismissing all Nazis as cannon fodder, the Reluctant Nazi can be an interesting change of pace. The Reluctant Nazi is a decent man who became a member of the party for political reasons, but does not ascribe to the Nazi philosophy. Nevertheless, he is a patriot and will do his duty, but unlike the other Nazi variants he takes no pleasure in it. The Brute: The Brute is a thug, who doesn’t really believe in the ideology of the Third Reich, but became a Nazi in order to feed their need to feel powerful. Being part of the Nazi war machine gives them the power they’ve always craved, and they like to abuse that power at every opportunity. Brute Nazis are scum; arrogant bullies who enjoy the humiliation and degradation of their prisoners. They may be using the uniform to conceal a deep-seated inferiority complex, or they may just be nasty pieces of work. Brutes tend to be selfish, greedy and under all their bluster, cowards. However they are often also superior combatants, and their treacherous nature and innate viciousness translates into a host of dirty tactics. Brutes tend to be the default Nazi soldier. The Bruiser: The bruiser is a big, solid lump of muscle with fists like hams and a penchant for bare-knuckle fighting. He enjoys a fight, and he enjoys showing off his impressive physique just before he beats the hero unconscious with it. He rarely speaks anything other than German and tends to serve either as back-up muscle for a superior office, or as an unexpected stumbling block for the hero. The Intellectual Aryan: Smarter than the average Nazi, this villain is cultured, educated, intelligent and very astute. His perception and quick wits make him a formidable enemy, and his ability to anticipate the moves of his opponents make him a hard man to out-manoeuvre. While

Pulp Villains he can be as violent, sadistic and brutal as other Nazis, the Intellectual Aryan prefers to solve his problems in a more cerebral manner, and he is often using the resources of the Reich to further his own ambitions. Most senior Nazis fall into this category. The Nazi Scientist: Lacking the individual spark of divine inspiration, Nazi doctors, scientists and researchers working in teams are still capable of some incredible (and horrifying) achievements. Some care little for Nazi doctrine or the philosophy or Aryan superiority, instead seeing the Third Reich as a means to an end; the funding and resourcing of their research. Others are fanatical, seeking to use their perverted science to prove the outlandish theories of Eternal Ice and Aryan eugenics. Neither type cares for the pain they inflict on their fellow human beings while they conduct their foul experiments, seeing their prisoners as simply an expendable stock of “subhuman” test subjects. Nazi Scientists tend to be utterly cold, exhibiting little personality and no conscience whatsoever, though they seem to take no pleasure in what they do either. Players may also derive some historical horror from the fact that many of these scientists will be given new homes and new jobs in the usa and other Allied countries at the end of the war, made Government assets under covert operations like Paperclip. When it comes to their projects, Gamemasters can feel free to let their imaginations run wild, but should be warned if they decide to research the issue that there’s almost nothing so vile or horrific that real Nazi scientists didn’t do it at some point - often on an industrial scale. The Nazi Occultist: Often found working hand in hand with the Nazi Scientist, the Nazi Occultist is usually assigned to the Ahnenerbe or one of Hitler’s other arcane research organisations. The Nazi Occultist is usually a career soldier who has seen the power of the supernatural for himself and wishes to harness it as a weapon of war, a scholar of mysticism availing himself of the resources the Reich has to offer, or a disciple of darkness who is using the Reich as much as they are using him. Nazi Occultists often have access to arcane artifacts and possess psychic or mesmeric powers. They may also possess Weird Technology that combines dark magic with high technology. Nazi Occultists can often be found advising, or even leading, retrieval missions to holy sites and mysterious lands. For more information on Nazis, see page 108.

The Corrupt Corporate The Corrupt Corporate is a uniquely American villain. He is evil in a nice suit, an unscrupulous businessman or tycoon who represents our fear of manipulation and exploitation by the rich; bankers, industrialists, financiers and politicians. Born of the loss of public trust caused by the Wall Street Crash and the Great Depression, Corrupt Corporates became useful villains for Pulp authors. Once hailed as the industrial backbone of the country, the Corrupt Corporate is motivated most often by greed and the desire to maintain his share price. He knows that

wealth buys power and influence and that everyone has their price. The only things that matter are the things that can be bought; to the Corrupt Corporate, everything else – including morality and human life - is irrelevant. The Corrupt Corporate may appear urbane and cultured, but he has a lot to lose and will fight like a tiger to keep it. His plots tend to involve vast swindles and confidence schemes, the discrediting or ruination of his competitors, the theft of large sums of money, the annexation of valuable resources, complicated real estate scams or the establishment and maintenance of vast monopolies. Usually the victims of these plots are the “little people”, the faceless masses of ordinary people who invest in the Corporates companies. Corrupt Corporates want more of what they already have, and have the resources to achieve this. They have money, minions, social connections and political influence. Very often they also have social prominence, making them hard to fight openly and giving them the protection of society and the law. Though Corrupt Corporates are usually industrialists, they can be just as effective in other lines of work. A Corrupt Producer could use the machinery of Hollywood to smear his opponents, while a Corrupt Banker might ruin his enemies and finance his allies. The classic Corrupt Corporate has no fighting skills to speak of, though this has been subverted in modern times with idea of rich businessmen who combine big business with a taste for extreme sports and martial arts. Normally though, Corrupt Corporates leave the fighting to their minions, led by a trusted lieutenant. Lex Luthor, particularly in his modern incarnations, is a classic example of the Corrupt Corporate, combined with aspects of the Mad Scientist.

Rex Monday Born to the privileged life of the scion of an old and noble house, Rex Monday grew up pampered, indulged and spoiled. Every day he was told that the world would be his, and that he could do anything he wanted. Unlike most children, he believed it. Even more unusually, he still believes it now.

11

Rex Monday is a tall, handsome man in his early thirties, with movie-idol good-looks, impeccable taste and perfect manners. He is also an extremely dangerous man, what in later years will be termed a sociopath. Rex has little concept of real emotion or of right and wrong. What interests him and motivates him is what is good solely for him. He is intelligent and observant, and is skilled at faking his emotional connection to other people, but eventually those closest to him see through the mask and realise that there isn’t much human about Rex Monday. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t be a problem. Rex would undoubtedly have ended up confined in either prison or mental institution, where he could do no harm. Alas, he is one of the richest young men in the United States, gifted with soaring ambition and the means to make most of his problems disappear. Taking his inspiration from the Latin phrase that echoes his name, Rex Monday aims to be nothing less than the 181

Pulp Fantastic king of the world. Patient and cunning, he is a master of the long game, using his money and influence to move people like pawns on a chess board, instigating subtle schemes that advance his cause while removing his opponents, often without them even suspecting his involvement. To the public, Rex is a wealthy industrialist and philanthropist, a man who supports unionisation and encourages the education of his workforce. A tireless charity fund-raiser and campaigner for human rights, Rex’s reputation is almost bulletproof. To his criminal associates, Rex is a stone killer, a man without pity, with the will to do anything in order to achieve his goals. Those who know his secret are terrified of him, and would die rather than betray him. Those foolish enough to talk carelessly have found to their cost that Rex’s millions buy him a long reach, and he does not forgive. Quote: “Of course, poor people aren’t like you and I. They’re barely people at all.” Awareness:

3

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

5

Presence:

3

Resolve:

6

Strength:

3

Skills: Convince 4, Knowledge 4, Marksman 2, Science 2, Technology 2, Transport 2 Traits: Authority (Major Good Trait) Rex gets what he wants, when he wants it. Dark Secret (Major Bad Trait) Rex has a graveyard of skeletons in his closet. Friends in Power (Major Good Trait) Rex has the ear of the rich and the powerful. Friends in the Underworld (Major Good Trait) Rex has friends in low places. Indomitable (Major Good Trait) Rex cannot easily be controlled or dominated.

GAMEMASTER

Minions: Thugs (Major Good Trait) Rex always has a few leg breakers on hand.

182

Minions: Scientists (Major Good Trait) Rex isn’t a rocket scientist, but he has several on the payroll. Owed Favour (Major Good Trait) Rex has an ear for scandal and a talent for blackmail. Wealthy (Major Good Trait) Rex is richer than the Rockefellers. Total Character Points: 53 Story Points: 12

Pulp Villains

The Dragon Lady The Dragon Lady is the female counterpart to the Foreign Mastermind. Beautiful, seductive, mysterious and sexually aggressive, the Dragon Lady is generally portrayed as less honourable that her male opposite number, prone to violent rages (and occasionally falling in love with a hero). The Dragon Lady is more hands-on than the Foreign Mastermind, and while she prefers to let her minions do her bidding, she is often a skilled hand-to-hand fighter, taking advantage of the fact that Pulp heroes are rarely comfortable hitting a woman.

Du Kai Hua – Poison Blossom The beautiful and exotic young woman who now takes the name Du Kai Hua (Poison Blossom) is the adopted daughter of the infamous Death Dragon, Siwang Lung. Rescued from the streets as a child, Siwang Lung raised the girl as his successor, educating her in the ways of science, crime and subtle cruelty. Unlike her father, Du Kai Hua cares little for the fate of mankind, and instead enjoys the exercise of power for its own sake. Sadistic, spoiled and devious, Du Kai Hua has attempted to overthrow her father on numerous occasions, but has always managed to be forgiven. In her own twisted way, she cares for her father deeply, but she is also more than a little crazy and would kill him without a second thought if he got in her way. Thus far, Siwang Lung has yet to reveal to Du Kai Hua the secret of his prolonged life and unnatural durability, which is perhaps the only reason his daughter has yet to finally betray him. Quote: “You will tell me what I wish to know, or I can promise you that your agony will be...exquisite.” Awareness:

4

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

5

Presence:

3

Resolve:

5

Strength:

4

Skills: Athletics 3, Convince 3, Fighting 5, Knowledge 3, Marksman 3, Medicine 2, Science 2, Survival 3, Technology 2, Transport 2 Traits: Attractive (Major Good Trait) The Poison Blossom is beautiful and deadly. Crack Shot (Minor Good Trait) Du Kai Hua is a superb shot. Emotional Complication (Major Bad Trait) The Poison Blossom has all kinds of daddy issues. Martial Artist (Major Good Trait) Du Kai Hua is a lethal hand-to-hand fighter. Maverick (Minor Bad Trait) Du Kai Hua is a wilful child. Minions (Major Good Trait) The Poison Blossom can call upon her father’s minions. Quick Reflexes (Major Good Trait) Du Kai Hua has incredibly fast reactions.

Sharpshooter (Minor Good Trait) Du Kai Hua makes every shot count. Well Traveled (Minor Good Trait) The Poison Blossom has traveled the globe. Total Character Points: 61 Story Points: 5

The Baroness A beautiful woman with a heart of ice, the Baroness has more than a hint of the dominatrix about her. Strict, intelligent and chilly, she often exhibits a sadistic nature and a fervent belief in the ideals of whichever cause she follows. Most often of German or Russian extraction, she is always immaculately dressed, either in the highest fashion or a perfectly cut uniform. In the Pulps, the Baroness was often portrayed as a closet (or even overt) lesbian and man-hater, something considered at the time to be quite perverse. Regardless of her sexuality, she is often attracted to power and dominant personalities, but may not be open to seduction. The Baroness is often found as an icily beautiful Nazi or Communist temptress, or as the aide to a Corrupt Corporate. She may even be found leading a team of Nazi Scientists, or standing at the side of a Cult Leader. The Baroness may have a mannish female bruiser as back-up, who may or may not also be her lover. Some Baronesses can be found acting as the trusted lieutenant of the main villain. Like the Dragon Lady, while she prefers to leave the fighting to her minions, the Baroness is usually quite a dangerous combatant, often using a whip to deadly effect. A variant of the Baroness is the Battleaxe. She is usually an older woman, sometimes beautiful, often not. She is likely to be the main villain rather than simply his aide. Regardless of her sexuality, her greater experience tends to make her immune to seduction attempts. She more openly enjoys her work, and is quite happy to get her hands dirty.

11

Baroness Veronique Devereaux The woman now known as Baroness Veronique Devereaux has done much to obscure her origins and history, and in so doing has conjured a mystique that both fascinates and intrigues. Judging from the number of “unfortunate accidents” and “mysterious illnesses” that befall those around her, it appears that being too curious about the Baronesses’ past is not a healthy occupation. It is whispered (though never where she might hear of it) that she started life as an urchin, abandoned on the streets of Morocco, where she learned to survive through theft and other, less reputable arts. From there she parlayed her extraordinary beauty and ruthless intelligence into a place in a nobleman’s house, first as a maid, then as mistress, and finally wife after his first wife suffered an unexplained “wasting illness”. Not long after, the nobleman himself died, some say of over-exertion, while others mutter darkly of poison. The newly-widowed Baroness Devereaux moved her household back to Paris, where she became the darling of the 183

Pulp Fantastic social scene, entrancing a string of near-fanatical lovers and admirers and inveigling herself into the highest circles of power. She counts ministers, bishops and kings as her friends and confidantes, and seems to possess an inexhaustible fund of favours upon which she can call at any time. While having the whiff of scandal about her, the Baroness has never been directly implicated in wrongdoing of any kind, and her honor is staunchly defended by all those who consider her a friend. In truth, the Baroness Devereaux is one of Europe’s most successful blackmailers, poisoners, spies and thieves. Selfish, utterly amoral, fiendishly cunning, ruthless and cruel, the ambition of the Baroness has no limit. She will do anything to advance her social standing and personal wealth, up to and including murder on a grand scale. She is completely without mercy and is capable of almost demonic fury when thwarted. An expert in toxins and subtle murder, the Baroness is never without a variety of tainted weapons and secreted potions, but without a doubt her uncanny beauty and her ruthless intellect are her deadliest weapons, ones that she wields with a masters touch. The Baroness Devereaux is uncommonly beautiful; in her late twenties or early thirties. Tall and athletic, with long fair hair and ice-blue eyes, she moves with a natural elegance and grace and speaks with a low, slightly husky voice that is almost hypnotically seductive. Quote: “No, I didn’t think you’d hit a lady. Now, come sit next to me and lets discuss this like old friends. Drink?” Awareness:

4

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

5

Presence:

6

Resolve:

6

Strength:

4

Skills: Animal Handling 2, Athletics 2, Convince 4, Craft 3, Knowledge 2, Medicine 3, Science 2, Subterfuge 3, Technology 2, Transport 2 Traits: Attractive (Minor Good Trait) The Baronesses beauty is unsurpassed.

GAMEMASTER

Charming (Minor Good Trait) The Baroness is a master flirt, coquette and seducer. Dark Secret (Major Bad Trait) The Baroness has many secrets she would kill to conceal. Emotional Complication (Major Bad Trait) The Baroness is driven by a need to protect the life and public persona she has created. Friends in Society (Major Good Trait) The Baroness is welcome everywhere among the great, the good and the powerful. Indomitable (Major Good Trait) The Baroness is not a woman to be crossed. Minions (Major Good Trait) The Baroness always has men on hand to do her dirty work. Owed Favor (Major Good Trait) Her knowledge of scandal and intrigue means the Baroness is owed many favors. 184

Wealthy (Major Good Trait) The Baroness lives the life of a landed noble-woman. Well Travelled: Europe (Minor Good Trait) The Baroness loves to travel, and is at home almost everywhere in Europe. Total Character Points: 63 Story Points: 8

The Masked Terror The Masked Terror is the dark reflection of the Masked Avenger, a crime lord with a secret identity, a flamboyant disguise and often a theatrical modus operandi when going about his extra-curricular activities. Unlike the Masked Avenger, the Masked Terror has eschewed the cause of justice for something altogether more personally satisfying. Exactly what that might be varies from villain to villain. Some Masked Terrors are vigilantes, taking a stand against what they see to be the rampant tide of lawlessness and corruption that threatens to drown their city. The only difference between this incarnation of the Masked Terror is their willingness to kill, often in cruel and unusual ways. In this form, the Masked Terror has assumed the role of judge, jury and executioner, and the sentence is death! These villains can be used to present the masked Avenger with a dark mirror, showing them what they have the potential to become if they ever lose sight of the importance of tempering justice with mercy and compassion. Other types of Masked Terror could be seeking to redress a perceived injustice, seeking vengeance for a wrong (real or imagined) done to themselves or someone near and dear in the past. Others might simply be very clever criminals, motivated by a desire for power and riches. Regardless of motivation the Masked Terror is nearly always, like the Masked Avenger, a respected citizen in his or her day to day life. Often Masked Terrors and Avengers move in similar circles, and may even be friends. Though the Masked Terror and the Masked Avenger are extremely similar, the Masked Terror is usually far less hands on, using his or her minions to maintain some distance from any illegal activity. That said, when cornered the Masked Terror will often abandon any semblance of propriety and fight like a cornered tiger.

The Crimson Claw For the last thirty years, the enigmatic crime boss known as the Crimson Claw has been an ever-growing threat to the forces of law and order across the United States. Despite this, almost nothing is known about this masked terror, and what is known is often entirely contradictory, leading some leading authorities to suspect that there may be more than one Crimson Claw. Often, those who have encountered the fiend can’t even agree as to the gender of their opponent! What is known of the Crimson Claw is that he (if it is a

Pulp Villains man) is ruthless, utterly amoral and a brilliant tactician. Descriptions of him vary considerably from witness to witness, but he is usually described as being immaculately dressed beneath a deep red cape and concealing hood with eye holes through which a pair of blazing eyes can be glimpsed. The Claw gets his name from a curious accoutrement; a gleaming red metallic gauntlet with razor sharp talons worn on the left hand. Far more than a mere affectation, the gauntlet is the Claw’s favourite method of dispensing vengeance, from horrific facial scars to disembowelment. In truth, it can be said that the Crimson Claw literally rules his organisation with a fist of iron. The Crimson Claw is an expansionist crime lord, working to either eliminate his criminal rivals or absorb their operations into his own. He responds swiftly to threats and perceived slights, but rarely reacts rashly. Indeed, he often seems to be working to a long-term plan, often setting into motion events that won’t pay off for him for some time. His most favoured tactic is to stir up gang wars that cause his rivals to eliminate each other, allowing him to sweep in a fill the power vacuum once the dust has settled. The Crimson Claw is highly intelligent, patient, cunning, fearless and utterly ruthless. Completely without morals of any kind, he seems purely motivated by the desire for power and the obedience of his subordinates. He has a talent for prolonged and inexorable revenge, and it is an unfortunate character who finds himself on the Claws death list. Curiously, the Claw has been recorded as dead by the law enforcement agencies of a number of states, though the body was not recovered in any case. Strangely, a prominent member of the community suspected of being the Claw has always turned up dead at the same time, only for the Claw to resurface in another city a short time later, apparently none the worse for wear... The Claw’s organisation consists mostly of the most effective and ruthless mobsters, mooks and thugs in any given city. He seems to have no favored lieutenants, and rarely co-operates with other arch-villains.

Quote: “Fools! To believe you can stand against…the Crimson Claw!” Awareness:

3

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

5

Presence:

4

Resolve:

5

Strength:

3

Skills: Convince 4, Fighting 3, Knowledge 3, Subterfuge 3, Technology 2, Transport 2 Traits: Claw (Special Good Creature Trait) The Crimson Claw’s gauntlet does Strength +1 damage. Cloud Men’s Minds (Major Good Psychic Trait) The Crimson Claw has the ability to pass unseen should he so desire. Dark Secret (Minor Bad Trait) The Claw’s secret is that the Gauntlet is the real Crimson Claw. Dependency (Major Bad Trait) Once controlled by the Claw, the host cannot survive long without it. Infection (Major Good Creature Trait) Those wounded by the Gauntlet may become the Claw if the original host dies. More Than Human (Special Good Trait) The Gauntlet is an ancient malignant artifact. Minions (Major Good Trait) The Claw always finds the weak willed to obey it. Nocturnal (Minor Bad Creature Trait) By day, the Claw sleeps, while it’s host goes about his or her life, unknowing. Owed Favour (Major Good Trait) The Crimson Claw has blackmail files on the high and the mighty.

11

Psychic (Special Good Trait) The Crimson Claw can see the darkness in men’s souls. Total Character Points: 49 Story Points: 5

The Master Spy Another staple of the Pulp Era, the Master Spy is an operative of a foreign power, here to steal the secrets of the Government, the military, big business and research establishments. In times of war and the build-up to war, he may be a saboteur, sent to destroy stockpiles of weapons, shipyards and other military resources or make off with new technological and scientific breakthroughs. The Master Spy blends in the society in which he operates extremely well. He may even be a citizen, betraying his country for the highest bidder. The Master Spy often operates in high society, using his position to gain trust and exploit confidences. He usually has a network of spies and thugs working for him, and maybe a trusted lieutenant or two. 185

Pulp Fantastic The Master Spy tends to plan for every contingency, and nearly always has multiple escape routes ready for an immediate withdrawal. Like the Masked Terror, the Master Spy prefers to keep some distance between himself and any illegal activity, and when cornered will fight viciously for his freedom. Master Spies make especially good enemies for G-Men, Air Aces, Operators, Gumshoes, Law Enforcers, Masked Avengers, Mystery Men, Rocket Men and Science Heroes.

The Great Dictator The Great Dictator is unusual in that he already has wealth, power and resources. In fact, he has control of an entire country, possibly several. The classic example of the Great Dictator is, of course, Adolf Hitler. However there were several real-world examples at the time, including Benito Mussolini, General Francisco Franco and Josef Stalin. Since Pulp magazines were all about escapism, the magazines tended to steer clear of plots that veered too closely to real-world politics. However, authors would often invent fictional dictators and war-lords from imaginary countries, who shared similar characteristics with Hitler and his allies. Great Dictators make great recurring villains, as they possess enough resources and power that they can almost never be completely defeated, short of a full scale war. Worse, they may be beloved by their own people, effectively surrounding them with a vast shield of innocent dupes willing to die for their leader.

GAMEMASTER

Great Dictators have a tendency to rant and rave when thwarted, and maintain their iron-fisted rule through a startlingly well-informed secret police, an army of jackbooted thugs and an elite guard of intelligent, sadistic henchmen. They usually have an effective overseas intelligence network, operating spy cells in every country of the globe. They also seem to have a certain sense of style, employing visually impressive iconography to promote and unify their cause.

186

Some Great Dictators combine aspects of the Mad Scientist or the Foreign Mastermind, and most have a firm grasp of the power of advanced technology, either using their own inventive genius or employing the services of scientists and engineers (often kidnapped) to develop advanced weaponry. While Great Dictators tend to rule totalitarian fascist states, this is not always the case. Some may rule monarchies, theocracies, or any other state structure that places ultimate power in the hands of a single individual. While Pulp examples tend to be Eastern European, there is no reason why a Great Dictator can’t be the master of an obscure Asiatic country, or of an African or Middle-Eastern nation, or of an Atlantic or Pacific island.

General Vladic Kazan, Premier of Berezkia General Vladic Kazan is the autocratic dictator of Berezkia, a small Balkan nation that has risen swiftly in the last few years with the discovery of a large deposit of ores rich in the mysterious Element X somewhere within the Berezkan mountains. A former chief of the Royal Secret Police, Kazan entered into politics after the Great War, rising to power by exploiting the poverty, chaos and unrest endemic in the years following the defeat of Germany, Berezkia’s main ally and trading partner. Using images of racial strength and purity, and invoking the mythology of the Norse gods, Kazan created a powerful cabal of loyal extremists to back his move to seize total power within the small country. While initially the Western powers were unconcerned with Kazan, the situation changed when it became apparent that Kazan’s forces, in investigating the legends of the gods of Asgard, had uncovered something remarkable. What that something was only came to light when Berezkia – formerly a struggling agricultural country – suddenly began to produce advanced technology vehicles, equipment and weaponry, much of it powered by Element X. Under Kazan, the economy of Berezkia has flourished, though civil liberties have almost completely vanished. Kazan himself is rarely seen, though his secret police – known as the Hammer – are everywhere. Worse, Kazan seems to instantly know when dissent is plotted, leading the peasant folk to mutter darkly about him giving up an eye for omniscience, as Odin did. The people of Berezkia are well-paid, well-fed and healthy, but they know they are not free. Most simply try to turn a blind eye to their oppression, by pretending that they have chosen to live the way they do, and by ignoring the disappearances and the occasional scream in the night. Kazan’s armed forces – the Fist – are well-trained, wellequipped and motivated. To a man they appear to be intelligent, capable and fanatically loyal to their leader, almost unnaturally so. Again, odd rumours have emerged from Berezkia about the large number of men who enter the military training academies and emerge weeks later, somehow changed. Kazan himself is a tall, muscular man in his late forties, though in excellent physical condition. He wears immaculately cut, austere uniforms in black, red and grey, and wears his long dark hair swept back from his forehead. While shrewd, intelligent and urbane, he is also a racist, sexist bigot with a powerful distrust of intellectuals.

Pulp Villains Quote: “It is the fate of the common to be ruled by the uncommon. To be ordinary is to be weak. Free will is the lot of the strong alone. It is the lot of the weak to obey.” Awareness:

4

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

5

Presence:

6

Resolve:

4

Strength:

4

Skills: Animal Handling 3, Athletics 2, Convince 5, Knowledge 3, Marksman 3, Science 2, Subterfuge 2, Technology 2, Transport 2 Traits: Authority (Major Good Trait) Kazan is the leader of a nation. Dark Secret (Major Bad Trait) Exactly what is the secret of Berezkia’s advanced technology? Empathic (Minor Good Trait) Kazan is an instinctive reader of people. Indomitable (Minor Good Trait) Kazan possesses an iron will. Minions (Major Good Trait) Kazan can call upon the armed forces of his nation. Obsession (Major Bad Trait) Kazan believes in his own manifest destiny. Linguist (Minor Good Trait) Kazan has a natural grasp of languages. Voice of Authority (Minor Good Trait) Kazan is a natural leader. Wealthy (Major Good Trait) Kazan is the leader of a prosperous nation. Weird Tech (Major Good Trait) Berezkia’s laboratories turn out suspiciously advanced technology. Total Character Points: 58 Story Points: 6

The Mob Boss Some might assume that the Mob Boss is merely an ordinary criminal. They’d be wrong; the Mob Boss is an extraordinary criminal. The head of an organised crime family, the Mob Boss has clawed his way up through the ranks the hard way, through spilling the blood of his enemies. Now he’s at the top and enjoying the fruits of his labors, he demands respect and he’s got the muscle behind him to get it. Though the Mob Boss may operate with some distance between himself and the front line, part of him misses rolling his sleeves up and breaking heads. Like his henchmen, the Mob Boss is more than capable of violence, often switching from disarming urbanity to primal savagery in a heartbeat. Unlike the majority of his henchmen, he’s intelligent, if not educated. He’s gotten where he is by out-thinking and out-manoeuvring his rivals, and he’s capable of almost anything to maintain his position.

Many Mob Bosses are family men, and have a somewhat old-fashioned view of the way things should be done. They rule their organisation like a feudal lord, valuing respect and tradition. Oddly, despite their involvement in everything from numbers rackets to white slavery, a lot of Mob Bosses are patriots who will vehemently oppose any truck with Nazis or other enemies of their country.

Bruno Sposato Bruno “Bullet” Sposato is one of the city’s top crime bosses, and considers himself a self-made man in more ways than one. Born the son of a grocer in the slums of the south side, young Bruno was intelligent enough and adaptable enough to realise that his best chance of escaping the ghetto was to run with the local gangs. Tough and smart, Bruno fought hard to control his conscience and worked his way up through the ranks, graduating from petty theft to numbers running. His ingenuity and intelligence caught the eye of a local mobster, and soon Bruno found himself doing minor jobs for the mob. It was during this time that Bruno gained his nickname “Bullet”, for his habit of carrying a .45 calibre bullet with is name carved on it in his pocket, apparently in the belief that if he carried the bullet that had his name on it, it could never be used to kill him. After proving himself a reliable man to the mob, he was soon inducted into it’s ranks, and killed his first man at the age of 16. Bruno’s mob career was unremarkable, and he was set to become just another disposable asset until he was caught in a three way shoot-out between the Police Department, his mob and agents of the Crimson Claw. Trapped and out of ammunition, Sposato used the last bullet he had, his good-luck piece. Bizarrely, the bullet ricocheted off a police officer’s badge and hit Sposato in the left eye, travelling straight through his brain before exiting the back of his head.

11

Sposato survived the terrible injury and was sent to prison for five years after leaving hospital. However, he was a very different man. Those who knew him before his injury often whisper that perhaps he didn’t survive after all, and that the Bruno Sposato that walks today is merely the body of the mobster, a body filled with something other than Bruno’s soul. Though Bruno survived being shot in the head, he did not survive unscathed. The damage to his brain caused changes to his personality, eliminating his compassion, conscience and most of his emotions. Strangely, it also robbed him of his ability to see in colour and his ability to feel pain. The Bruno Sposato that emerged from prison was brilliant, ruthless and utterly deadly. Within a matter of month he had risen to the rank of Consigliere, before staging a bloody coup that put control of the mob firmly in his hands. Since that time Bruno “Bullet” Sposato has consolidated his grasp on the reigns of power, while working to present the facade of a “legitimate businessman” with an interest in property investment. Sposato is a neat, aristocratic looking Italian American man with prematurely silver 187

Pulp Fantastic hair, handsome despite his craggy looks and eyepatch. He rarely gets directly involved in anything criminal these days, but remains fit and is more than capable of beating a man to death with his bare hands should it prove necessary. Due to his brain injury he is utterly unafraid of physical pain (he can be damaged, he just won’t feel it) and cannot be intimidated or made the subject of emotional appeals. Despite his criminal history, Bruno is a patriot, though he finds this difficult to articulate or understand. He loves his country and despises the thought of foreign spies and collaborators, and as such has proven quite an effective deterrent to the agents of enemy powers unfortunate enough to operate in his city. Quote: “Don’t disrespect me, boy. It’s not a mistake you want to make.” Awareness:

3

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

4

Presence:

4

Resolve:

5

Strength:

3

Skills: Athletics 2, Convince 2, Marksman 2, Subterfuge 3, Transport 3 Traits: Brave (Minor Good Trait) Bruno is fearless. Code of Conduct: Omertà (Minor Bad Trait) Bruno follows the code of silence. Dark Secret (Minor Bad Trait) Few in society know that Bruno is a mob boss. Distinctive (Minor Bad Trait) Bruno’s missing eye makes him stand out. Impaired Senses: One Eye (Minor Bad Trait) Bruno only has one eye. Maverick (Minor Bad Trait) Bruno dislikes being told what to do. Minions (Major Good Trait) Bruno is accompanied by made men.

GAMEMASTER

Never Gives Up (Major Good Trait) Bruno is hard to put down.

188

Tough (Minor Good Trait) Bruno feels no pain. Wealthy (Minor Good Trait) Crime does pay! Total Character Points: 36 Story Points: 5

The Man-Made Monster A horror icon since the 1818 novel by Mary Shelley, the Man-Made Monster is the ultimate product of Weird Science. If the Science Hero is nature improved by science, the Man-Made Monster is nature replaced and subverted by science. Whether a clone, homunculus, robot, zombie or stitched-together assemblage of reanimated flesh, the Man-Made Monster is a created or otherwise engineered being. Sometimes the Man-Made Monster is simply muscle for his creator, other times he is a rebellious child, driven by an Oedipal desire to steal his “fathers” power (and occasionally his fathers love-interest too). Man-Made Monsters are often tragic figures, misunderstood and filled with self-loathing at their own monstrous nature, but are just as often hostile and aggressive, believing in their own superiority over the “merely accidental” creations of nature and evolution. Man-Made Monsters vary wildly in appearance, often reflecting their manner of creation in their physical features. A being engineered from disassembled cadavers may have a ghastly pallor and be covered in crudely stitched scar-tissue, while a creature grown in a tank of bubbling fluids may lack a navel and have strangely coloured skin, hair or eyes. Some Man-Made Monsters may have successfully mastered the techniques that brought them to life, and have wrought their own minions out of the same raw materials. Some may plot to replace or dominate humanity, while others might wish to be left in peace or simply be acknowledged by their creators. Exactly how the Man-Made Monster is created is up to the individual Gamemaster. Perhaps the key to his creation lie in the long-forgotten notes of Victor Frankenstein or his contemporaries. Perhaps he is the product of alchemical experimentation, or a human being engineered in the womb. It could be a thinking machine, a reanimated corpse, or an animal brought to human levels of intelligence by unthinkable surgery and hormone treatments. Though the Frankenstein Monster is itself the product of the previous century, its most recognizable incarnation was born at the height of the Pulp era in James Whale’s famous 1931 movie adaptation. Another notable Pulp Man-Made Monster is the decapitated Major Sir Eric Moreland ClaphamLee - reanimated by Herbert West - who went on to use his knowledge of West’s techniques to create and control his own band of undead servants, combining the Man-Made Monster with the Mad Scientist. Other period examples include the artificial people from Carel Kapek’s 1921 play R.U.R., the computer brain in Edmund Hamilton’s story The Metal Giants, the alien automaton Gnut in the short story Farewell to the Master (Gort in the film adaptation The Day the Earth Stood Still), and of course Futura the robot woman from Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.

Pulp Villains

Die Schreck Many terrible stories are told of the Great War and the horrors good men experienced in the trenches, but some stories are far darker than others. One such is the story of what the advancing German forces discovered in the bombed out ruins of a field hospital in St. Eloi, Flanders, in the April of 1915. Soldiers securing the site, recently vacated by a retreating Canadian regiment, uncovered the remains of a strange hidden laboratory, filled with patchwork monstrosities and mindless undead creatures. At the heart of the ruined laboratory was a sundered vat of luminous serum, the contents of which had drained away into the earth when the hospital was destroyed. In the months that followed troops on both sides of the trenches reported strange visitations, sightings of fallen comrades resurrected as eerie revenants, with mortal wounds that dripped a glowing green ichor. When one such creature was captured and returned to the German High Command, doctors soon determined two facts. The first was that the creature was biologically dead, and the second was that its curious unlife was due to contamination by reptilian cell matter infused with a strange luminous chemical fluid. Faced with terrible losses, the German scientists attempted to analyze and reproduce the reanimating serum, in the hope of creating soldiers that could not be killed. The first such soldier was codenamed Die Schreck – The Terror. Stitched together from the corpses of fallen infantrymen, its veins filled with cultured reptile cells and the reanimating fluid, the horrible creature shrieked its way into the world in the winter of 1916. Escaping containment, the undead thing destroyed the laboratory that birthed it, killed the scientists who created it and vanished into noman’s land, there to become just another battlefield horror story. But it did not remain there for long. In the confusion that followed the armistice, tales began to emerge from the ruined French countryside of graves defiled, of entire cemeteries being emptied by an eerie band of silent, disfigured men under the leadership of a scarred officer.... Physically, Die Schreck is tall – almost seven feet tall – and athletically built. He dresses in black, close, fitting clothing and an black officers greatcoat. His face is handsome, save for a disfiguring scar that winds down from his right temple, across his eye and down to the right corner of his mouth. His skin is pale, and his dark eyes glow with a strange greenish light. When he speaks his voice is cultured, with a slight German accent and a curiously hollow quality. Die Schreck – he goes by no other name and does not seem to recall any previous life – is a true monster. His body seems to have become an eternally regenerating reservoir of reanimating ichor, and he has demonstrated repeatedly the ability to raise and control the dead by injecting them with his own blood. Those that Die Schreck raises

from the dead are, for the most part, mindless zombies (Enslaved Dead, page 227) except when under his direct mental control. He has, however, succeeded in creating lieutenants - thinking undead creatures like himself - by carefully refrigerating corpses before reanimation so as to preserve the delicate tissues of the brain. So far, however, none have demonstrated the same power to raise the dead. The ultimate aims of Die Schreck are unknown, but he has spoken of breaking down the barrier between death and life, of “freeing humanity from the tyranny of life” and of “emancipating the truly silent majority.” Despite being German, Die Schreck seems to have no political or nationalist allegiance, seeing himself as the leader of the nation of the dead Quote: “What you call life, I call slavery. You are slaves to your emotions, to your need for warmth, air, food and water. Truly, death is freedom from all these things. Join me and be free…” Awareness:

4

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

5

Presence:

6

Resolve:

6

Strength:

5

Skills: Athletics 2, Convince 3, Fighting 4, Knowledge 2, Marksman 3, Science 1, Transport 3 Traits: Amnesia (Major Bad Trait) Die Schreck has no conscious memory of his former life. Distinctive (Minor Bad Trait) Die Schreck has a memorable facial scar. Environmental (Major Good Creature Trait) As an undead being, Die Schreck suffers almost no ill-effects due to environment. Fast Healer (Special Good Trait) The serum in his blood allows Die Schreck to regenerate his wounds rapidly, recovering 1 point of damage per minute.

11

Fresh Meat (Minor Bad Trait) Die Schreck’s unnatural scent drives animals to attack him. Immortal (Special Good Creature Trait) Die Schreck does not age and is almost impossible to kill, since he’s already dead. Indomitable (Major Good Trait) As an intelligent undead monster, Die Schreck is resistant to any form of control. Minions (Major Good Trait) Die Schreck commands an army of the dead. More Than Human (Special Good Trait) Raised from the dead by mad science, Die Schreck is no longer human. Never Gives Up (Major Good Trait) Die Schreck is hard to knock down. Obsession (Major Bad Trait) Die Schreck wants to overthrow the living. 189

Pulp Fantastic Outcast (Minor Bad Trait) He’s an undead monster.

drowned, poisoned and blown up with gelignite. None of these took.

Special: Re-animator (Special Good Creature Trait) By administering injections of his own blood, Die Schreck can raise the recently dead as zombies.

The Creeper first appeared in London during the later 1880s, working as hired muscle for a number of different criminal masterminds. It is here that he first gained his reputation as an unstoppable force, becoming a symbol of terror and ruthlessness for whoever bought his loyalty. Though his appearance was terrifying, he developed a tendency to become obsessed with one attractive young woman after another, silently stalking them in order to present them with small tokens of his affection (and incidentally break the backs of any potential rivals). At some point however, each of these women would disappoint him, and they would shortly be found somewhere with their spines crushed.

Tough (Major Good Trait) Die Schreck feels no pain. Voice of Authority (Minor Good Trait) Die Schreck still carries himself with an officer’s bearing. Weakness (Major Bad Trait) The serum in Die Schreck’s blood is volatile at high temperatures. Total Character Points: 80 Story Points: 12

The Mangler The Mangler is a character that shows up in various guises throughout the Pulps. He is a hulking homicidal man-mountain used as muscle by other villains. He frequently has a bizarre obsession with beauty, and is fixated on the Mad Scientists beautiful daughter, the mob bosses Moll, the Baroness or the Dragon Lady, whoever is the most inaccessible. The Mangler is characterised by his great size, physical strength and durability. He is a figure of terror with a reputation for dealing horrible death, usually with his bare hands. He almost always has a signature method of dealing with his foes, by which his murders can easily be identified. Perhaps he breaks backs, crushes skulls, snaps necks or twists his victims into pretzels. Whatever his method of killing, the mere thought of him is enough to fill those who know of him with dread. Though the Mangler is usually a reliable weapon, he can sometimes be turned against his master (or mistress), by playing upon his tendency to obsess.

GAMEMASTER

The Hoxton Creeper

190

The brutal killer known as “the Hoxton Creeper” in Britain, and later simply “The Creeper” in the United States, is a deformed giant of a man whose monstrous appearance strikes terror in his victims shortly before he murders them by crushing their spines with his bare hands. The origins of the Creeper and the source of both his great strength and his uncanny ability to cheat death are unknown. A medical report made while he was presumed dead having been shot several times by Sherlock Holmes, suggests that the cause of his facial deformity and great size may be a form of acromegaly, a disorder of the pituitary gland. However this does not explain the Creepers near-total silence, his apparent fearlessness, his cold-blooded ruthlessness or his great physical strength. Nor does it explain his peculiar resistance to injury. Though records on the Creeper are sparse at best, he is said to have been shot several times, hung twice, electrocuted, burned,

The Creepers first reign of terror was brought to an end when he was ambushed by armed officers of Scotland Yard. In the resulting melee it is estimated he was shot between ten and twenty times without apparent effect, before he fell into the Thames and vanished without trace. The Creeper re-appeared in London nearly ten years later, working for the notorious art thief Giles Conover. Conover made an attempt to steal the infamous black pearl of the Borgias, and ran afoul of Sherlock Holmes. During this adventure, the Creeper appears to have forged a strange bond with the black pearl, as his life ever after seems closely linked with the blood-stained treasure. Holmes successfully managed to turn the Creeper against Conover by invoking the name of the Creeper’s latest obsession, and later apparently shot the Creeper dead. The Creeper revived during his autopsy, broke the back of the examining pathologist, and again disappeared. Five years later, the Borgia Pearl was sold at auction to an anonymous American millionaire, and the Creeper resurfaced once again. Displaying uncanny stealth for a man previously considered to be rather stupid, the Creeper followed the jewel to New York, where he murdered the courier, a docking agent and three deck-hands. Since then he has worked as mob muscle and a killer for hire, always following the Black Pearl as it passes from owner to owner, always murdering those foolish enough to keep it in their possession long enough for him to find them. It has been suggested that the Creeper can sense the jewel somehow, as he has traced it several times when every precaution had been taken to conceal its true location. In the mid-1940’s a character loosely based on the Creeper will be featured in a number of movies, played by the actor Rondo Hatton. Note that although the Creeper rarely speaks, he is not mute. Quote: “…”

Pulp Villains Awareness:

3

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

2

Presence:

1

Resolve:

4

Strength:

6

Skills: Fighting 3, Subterfuge 2 Traits: Animal Lover (Minor Bad Trait) The Creeper has a peculiar fondness for animals, particularly cats. Breaking & Entering (Major Good Trait) Nowhere is safe from the Creeper. Distinctive (Minor Bad Trait) At seven feet tall, the Creeper is easy to spot. Enhanced Senses (Minor Good Creature Trait) The Creeper always seems to know the location of the Borgia Pearl. Fast Healer (Major Good Trait) The Creeper is hard to put down. Fear Factor 3 (Special Good Character Trait) The Creeper is simply terrifying. Immortal (Special Good Creature Trait) No-one knows the Creeper’s age, and he’s been reported dead over a dozen times. It never seems to stick. More Than Human (Special Good Trait) Whatever the Creeper is, he’s more than human. Obsession (Major Bad Trait) The Creeper is fascinated by two things; beautiful women and the Borgia Pearl. Outcast (Minor Bad Trait) He’s wanted for murder on three continents.

11

Tough (Major Good Trait) The Creeper seems to soak up punishment like a sponge. Unattractive (Minor Bad Trait) He’s got a face not even a mother could love. Total Character Points: 37 Story Points: 12

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Chapter 12 Beasts & Monsters

T

he Pulp World is full of strange and fascinating creatures, along with those of the more mundane variety. This chapter contains creatures from the alligators that roam among the swamps of Louisiana and Florida to the mummies that inhabit old tombs in the great deserts of Africa. This chapter provides pre-generated creatures and characters for gms. It also includes tools to help gms create interesting new creatures to fit the special needs of their campaigns.

Creature Rules Creatures use the same Attributes as humans, although they can have a much higher Strength score than puny homo sapiens. A giant ape can smash through a concrete wall or flip a car with a flick of its wrist. On the bright side, most animals have a much lower Ingenuity than a human; creatures rely on instinct, not intelligence. Awareness for most creatures ranges between 2 to 5. Save Awareness 1 for creatures who are out of their natural environment, or for creatures who are almost completely oblivious to the world, like simple-minded insects. Coordination is a very important characteristic, as it determines how likely a big creature is to be able to hit a human. In general, assume most animals have Coordination 2, with 3 or 4 for creatures who can fly or climb. Ingenuity isn’t used by most creatures. Unless a creature approaches human intelligence, then it’s going to be 1. Presence is higher for bigger or more demonstrative creatures. If it roars, makes lots of noise, or has impressive threat displays, give it a higher Presence. Stealthy or quiet creatures have a lower Presence. Resolve is the creature’s determination and courage. If a creature keeps doggedly pursuing its prey, give it a high Resolve. If it’s opportunistic and flees if it meets resistance, give it a low score. Strength is mainly determined by the creature’s Size, so don’t give it a Strength yet.

Size All creatures fall into one of six Size Categories Tiny: Only a few centimetres long. Tiny creatures are things like most insects and vermin, as well as mice, rats, most lizards and snakes—anything that’s small enough to hide in your boot or pocket. Tiny creatures have a maximum Strength of 1, and a single point of damage is enough to squish a Tiny creature. Marksman-based attacks on Tiny creatures suffer a -2 penalty (or more—you try shooting a mosquito out of the air with a sniper rifle!) Small: These creatures are noticeably smaller than an adult human. It covers most cats, dogs and human children. Small creatures have a maximum Strength of 4; most will have a Strength of only 1-2. Average: We’re being a bit self-centred by calling the human species ‘average’, but anyway, this covers adult humans as well as any creature that’s roughly our size, like apes, big wolves, crocodiles, raptors, lions and tigers. Average creatures have a maximum Strength of 8. Big: This is a creature roughly the size of a horse, gorilla or bear. If it’s bigger than a human, but can still hide from you, it’s Big. Big creatures have Strength scores of up to 12. Huge: Huge creatures are really big. Elephants are Huge, for example, as are most of the big dinosaurs in lost worlds and hidden valleys. Huge creatures have Strength scores up to 16. Colossal: There aren’t supposed to be any Colossal creatures in the modern day outside the oceans, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there. These titanic creatures have no upper limit on their Strength scores, and attacks on them are like shooting a barn door—you get a +2 bonus when shooting at a Colossal creature (but it’ll probably only annoy it). Size has one key effect on combat—if there’s more than one size category between attacker and defender, the bigger creature has to use Coordination when making melee attacks. That means that even if an dinosaur has a Strength of 16, it can’t automatically squish a tiny human. Instead, it has to roll Coordination + Fighting to hit. It can, however, bring its full Strength to bear on a bigger target— like, say, a tank. This also applies to humans—you can’t use your Strength to attack a Tiny creature, you have to use Coordination.

Pulp Fantastic STRENGTH What can a creature do with a high Strength? Use this table as a guideline for Strength + Athletics difficulties. DIFFICULTY

EXAMPLE

15

Break down a wooden door.

18

Snap a rope, smash through a plaster wall.

21

Flip over a small car, break a steel chain, tear someone limb from limb.

24

Tear the door off a car, dent a reinforced security door.

27

Tear the roof off a car, flip a pick-up.

30

Smash through a concrete wall.

33

Smash through a reinforced steel door.

36

Flip a tank.

39

Crush a tank.

Speed

Areas of Expertise: Stalking, Hiding in Shadows, Hiding in Undergrowth

Survival All wild animals have at least a point or two in Survival, reflecting their ability to find food and shelter. Especially adept hunters and trackers have more points; pets and other domesticated animals may lack any knowledge of how to survive in the wild. Areas of Expertise: Environments such as Arctic, Forest, Jungle, Coastal Waters, Surface Ocean, Deep Ocean

SWARMS When you’ve got lots of small creatures — say, a mass of soldier ants, or a frenzied horde of rats — then it’s easier to treat the whole group as a single creature, called a Swarm.

Creature Skills

The Swarm’s Size determines how dangerous it is—the bigger the Size, the more attacking creatures there are in the Swarm (note that the Size of the Swarm is not the same as the Size of the creatures that compose the Swarm). A Swarm makes one attack roll each round, and then makes a number of hits equal to its maximum Strength. For example, a Big Swarm can do 12 hits. Furthermore, the larger a Swarm is, the harder it is to avoid being hit; add the Swarm’s maximum Strength score directly to its Coordination + Fighting when making attacks.

Athletics Strong, healthy animals have high Athletics scores. It’s used for running, jumping and climbing as well as displays of brute force. Flying creatures also use it for agile aerial manoeuvres.

GAMEMASTER

Animals are unlikely to be smart enough to use Subterfuge to pick locks or palm cards, but the ‘sneaking and hiding’ parts of Subterfuge apply just as much to animals as they do to people.

Creatures fall into three Speed categories—Fast, Average or Slow. In combat, Fast creatures go first, then Average creatures, then Slow creatures.

Animals use the same Skills as ordinary characters, more or less—you’re unlikely to find an animal with Technology or Science, but Skills like Athletics, Fighting and Survival are common. In general, animal Skills use the same rules as the regular version of the Skills, but have different areas of Expertise.

Areas of Expertise: Beast of Burden, Climbing, Flying, Swimming, Rending, Jumping, Squeezing Through Narrow Spaces

Fighting Fighting covers almost all forms of natural weapons, like claws, bites, tail lashes or stings. Some animals are especially good at a particular type of attack—an ambush predator gets a bonus when making a surprise attack, for example. Areas of Expertise: Ambush, Bite, Claw, Fighting When Cornered, Block, Wrestling, Strangling

Marksman Only a few animals have the Marksman Skill. Any creature with a ranged attack (like a dinosaur that spits acid, or a giant frog with a long sticky tongue) has a few points in Marksman. Areas of Expertise: Spit, Grab, Thrown Weapons 194

Subterfuge

Each hit inflicts normal damage for a creature in the Swarm. It can hit a single target multiple times, or split its attacks. Characters attacked can make Resistance rolls as normal (remember there’s a penalty for multiple Reactions in a round, so a character trying to dodge or parry a Swarm will be rapidly overwhelmed.) If a character is wearing armour, it only applies against half the Swarm’s attacks (unless it is some sort of full-body armour). If a character gets hit by 5 or more attacks in one round, and his armour isn’t strong enough to protect him, then don’t bother rolling—that’s ‘covered in carnivorous beasties and skeletonised’ territory unless the character spends Story Points to escape. Most attacks on a Swarm are pointless—a character might be able to squish one bug, but that does no good if you’re being attacked by hundreds of them. Unless you’ve got a flamethrower or another area-effect weapon handy, the best strategy is to run.

Beasts & Monsters

Creature Creation Now you’ve had a chance to consider the background of the creature you’re creating, you should consider how it is being used in the adventure. If they are adversaries (quite a common occurrence in Pulp adventures), where will they be encountered? Are they simply a minor encounter, a setback, or minions of the major villain? In that case, they shouldn’t be too powerful. Try creating the creatures using a similar number of points to a player character. If the heroes will be encountering many of them, this should be a fairly even match. The players should be able to face the encounter with few problems, depending upon how many of them there are. For example, a single Radium Man is a tough opponent, far stronger than a normal person. However, they’re slow and too logical, giving the players a bit of an edge against it. Increase the number and you’ve got a fight on your hands!

Traits Below is a list of creature Traits that the creature can have to set them apart from mere humans. Just as other Traits that can be purchased, they come in Minor, Major and Special Good and Bad Traits. There’s no hard limit on the number of Traits that a creature can have, but in general you should try to keep things from becoming too complicated. Remember that Traits are abilities that are constantly ‘on’—the monster doesn’t need to spend Story Points or use an action to get the advantage of the ability. Of course, the list of Creature Traits presented below is just a sample of what can be done, though most creatures can be built using these Traits. The list isn’t exhaustive— you should use these Traits as a basis for making new, unique Traits for your own creatures. If you wish to design your own Trait, you should feel free. To get started and create your creature, you can pick any of the creature Traits presented here, as well as those available to human characters.

CREATURE TRAITS Additional Limbs (Minor Good)

Leap (Special Good)

Aggressive (Minor Good)

Lurker (Minor Good)

Amphibious (Minor Good)

Natural Weapons (Minor or Major Good)

Armor (Minor, Major or Special Good)

Networked (Minor or Major Good)

Aquatic (Minor Bad)

Nocturnal (Minor Bad)

Bite (Minor or Major Good)

Passive (Minor Bad)

Burrowing (Minor Good)

Poison (Special Good)

Claw (Major or Minor Good)

Possess (Special Good)

Climbing (Minor or Major Good)

Replication (Major Good)

Constrict (Minor Good)

Savage Roar (Major Good)

Enhanced Senses (Minor Good)

Screamer! (Minor Good)

Environmental (Minor or Major Good)

Shapeshift (Minor, Major or Special Good)

Fast-Moving (Minor or Major Good)

Slow-Moving (Minor or Major Good)

Fear Factor (Special Good)

Snap (Major Good)

Flight (Minor or Major Good)

Special (Special Good)

Frenzy (Minor Bad)

Stalker (Major Good)

Grab (Minor Good)

Stinger (Minor Good)

Immaterial (Special Bad)

Stomp (Minor Good)

Immortal (Major or Special Good)

Strange Appearance (Special Bad)

Immunity (Major Good Trait)

Teleport (Major Good)

Infection (Major Good)

Trample (Major Good)

Invisible (Special Good)

Warning (Major Good)

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Additional Limbs* (Minor Good Creature Trait) The creature has an additional pair of limbs. This can mean arms or legs or an odd creature limb or tentacle that functions as both. Of course, taking an additional pair of limbs means that the creature is usually very obviously weird in appearance, and will automatically get the Strange Appearance Bad Trait (Minor). The Additional Limbs Trait can be taken a second time, giving the creature a cumulative bonus, but their Strange Appearance Trait becomes Major. Effect: Additional Limbs is a Minor Good Trait, and costs just 1 point for every additional pair of limbs. If the creature has additional legs, their effective Speed (when calculating chases and alike) is increased by +2. If the limbs are arms, the first additional action in any Round receives no penalty (as they can effectively do two things at once). This Trait can be taken twice to create an eight limbed creature, though they will be obviously weirder. Additional limbs can be had on top of this, but they receive no bonus and cost no extra – there comes a point when you have so many legs or arms that it just becomes confusing and you can end up tripping over your own feet.

Aggressive

(Minor Bad Creature Trait) The creature lives in the water and cannot move on dry land. It may be a fish or other aquatic creature that breathes through gills, or it may need to surface every so often to refill its lungs. Effect: Aquatic creatures have their Coordination reduced to 1 or even 0 when on land.

Bite (Minor or Major Good Creature Trait) The creature has strong jaws and sharp, tearing teeth.

Effect: It gains a +2 bonus to its Coordination for the purposes of working out who moves first during the Fighting Phase.

Amphibious

Burrowing

(Minor Good Creature Trait)

(Minor Good Creature Trait)

The creature is equally at home in water and on land.

This Trait allows the creature to tunnel or burrow at speed through soft ground, usually dirt, mud or sand. The creature will require an alternate means of breathing (see Environmental Trait overleaf) to avoid suffocating while tunnelling but this Trait allows the creature to move at half of their normal Speed underground. They will have to avoid obstacles such as concrete or hard ground and most creatures like this will have some sort of Enhanced Senses (see page 197) to allow them to sense their direction of travel or prey.

This creature is quick to attack when threatened.

Effect: The creature can move at its maximum speed on land and in the water without penalty.

Armor GAMEMASTER

Aquatic

Effect: Bite attacks usually do Strength +2 or +4 damage. Bite attacks can be used in cramped conditions without penalty, unlike claws. The damage bonus provided by the Minor version is +2 damage and the Major version is +4 damage.

(Minor Good Creature Trait)

(Minor, Major or Special Good Creature Trait) Armour as a Trait means that the creature has ‘natural’ armor that protects it. Armor counts as ‘natural’ if it cannot be removed. For example, a flack jacket can be removed, but a triceratops has a thick bone frill which cannot be removed. The moment the armor can be removed then it is a piece of equipment, rather than a Trait. If it’s a permanent feature (whether this bone, chitin, or just very tough, leathery skin) it is a Trait. Effect: Armor as a Trait can be purchased at various levels. As a Minor Trait, costing 1 point, the character has a tough hide that is able to reduce injury by 5 levels. If the creature is hit by a weapon and receives 6 levels worth of damage to reduce their Attributes, this 6 is reduced by the 5 of the Armor to a single point. This makes the character quite a tough cookie! Even Lethal damage is resisted - treat it as 8 levels of damage and reduce it accordingly.

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As a Major Trait, the damage reduction is increased to 10. In most cases, this armor will be thick plating, such as metal or scales, and so this isn’t suitable for player characters. At this level, the Armour Trait costs 2 points, but their Coordination is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 1). The highest level is as a Special Trait, costing 3 or more. Every additional point spent, increases the armor by +5 (and reduces their Coordination by an additional -1 to a minimum of 1). This means you can create huge and heavily armored creatures, but they don’t move particularly fast or accurately.

Effect: Burrowing allows the creature to travel at half of their normal Speed underground through soft ground. The Gamemaster should use their discretion to decide if the creature can travel through a given terrain, modifying the Speed as they see fit.

Beasts & Monsters

Claw (Major or Minor Good Creature Trait) The creature attacks with sharp claws. Effect: Claw attacks usually do Strength +2. To do full damage with a claw, a creature needs room to be able to swipe at a victim; in cramped conditions, a creature may not be able to rip as much flesh as it would otherwise.

Constrict (Minor Good Creature Trait) The creature kills its prey by smothering or crushing them. Pythons kill in this fashion; other predators might use their bulk in this way. Effect: To constrict, the predator must first grab its prey (see Grab, below). It then squeezes the life out of the victim, inflicting ½ Strength damage automatically every turn.

Climbing (Minor or Major Good Creature Trait) The Climbing Trait means simply that the creature is exceptionally good at climbing. As a Minor Trait, they can climb walls particularly well, and as a Major Trait they are equally adept at clinging to the ceiling! Effect: As a Minor Good Trait, costing 1 point, Climbing means that the creature can climb up sheer and difficult surfaces. While they cannot climb surfaces without any grip, such as glass, they can certainly find it easy to climb walls. They receive a +4 bonus to Coordination and Athletics rolls when climbing. As a Major Trait, costing 2 points, they receive the same +4 bonus, but are able to climb smooth surfaces such as glass or metal, as well as clinging to the ceiling like a spider.

Enhanced Senses (Minor Good Creature Trait) Most of the time, simply having a really high Awareness means that your senses are particularly acute. However, some creatures have senses that go above and beyond what is considered normal. It could be that they can see infra-red or ultra-violet ends of the spectrum, or simply smell their prey from a dozen rooms away. The cost of this Trait could easily be offset by the Strange Appearance Trait, saying that the creature or character can see phenomenally well, but has grotesquely large eyes. Effect: Enhanced Senses is a Minor Good Trait which costs 1 point. At character creation, the sense that is particularly good should be specified (whether this is sight, hearing, smell, etc.) and the particulars of the extraordinary perception (what is so special about it and what is sensed). When the creature uses the sense, it gains a +4 bonus to Awareness rolls but only when using that sense. If the Gamemaster thinks the sense will aid another Awareness roll (such as avoiding being surprised), or if the environment effects the sense, this bonus may be reduced. For

example, a monster that can see into the infra-red range of the spectrum can see the heat given off by people. It gains a +4 bonus to its rolls when it spots the characters approaching in the dark, but once the shooting starts, and things start exploding, everything will be hot and the bonus from its enhanced sense will be lost. Note: This cannot be used with the Keen Senses Trait.

Environmental (Minor or Major Good Creature Trait) Environmental is a catch-all Trait that means the creature or character can survive in strange or harsh environments. Perhaps they are the last survivor of Atlantis and can exist just as well underwater as they can on land. They may be able to survive in the vacuum of space, or endure the harsh heat of the volcanic lands at the heart of the Earth, or the extreme cold of the Antarctic. Effect: As a Minor Good Trait, Environmental means that the creature suffers no ill effects from one particular harsh condition. If it’s something like being able to survive underwater, their ability should be explained. Do they have gills, or can they store oxygen in some way? If they can survive in the vacuum of space, this will require a little more rationalisation. As a Major Good Trait, the creature suffers no effects from any environment.

Fast-Moving (Minor or Major Good Creature Trait) Some creatures are very fast and move with a quickness that is seldom seen in humans. It could be that they’re born predators, fast like a cheetah, or they have some unearthly ability to move so fast that they are no more than a blur to the naked eye. Effect: Fast-Moving is a Good Trait that means the creature can travel unnaturally fast. As a Minor Good Trait, the creature’s effective Speed is increased by 1.5 times (round up), so a creature with a Coordination of 2 has an effective Speed of 2 x 1.5 = 3. As a Major Good Trait, their Speed is doubled, so a creature with Coordination of 4 has an effective Speed of 8. This Trait only works if the creature is moving outside of a vehicle.

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Fear Factor* (Special Good Creature Trait) The Fear Factor Trait is designed for monsters, villains and those truly scary individuals who can send people running in terror. They don’t have to be ugly or monstrous – people cowered at feet of Dr Fu Manchu in fear of their lives – but sometimes it is just looking at the creature with the rows of teeth that fills them with fear. Effect: Fear Factor is a Special Trait and is really only suitable for villains or monsters. It is costs 1 point, but can be purchased multiple times. Each purchase of the Fear Factor Trait adds +2 to any roll when actively trying to strike fear into people’s hearts. See ‘Getting Scared’ on page 133. 197

Pulp Fantastic

Flight

Grab

(Minor or Major Good Creature Trait)

(Minor Good Creature Trait)

This Trait means that the creature can fly. Either they have wings, a jet pack, some kind of anti-gravity device or rotors, but one way or another they can leave the ground for extended periods.

The creature can seize hold of victims (by holding on when it bites, picking them up with claws, sticking on with adhesive pads or wrapping itself around them).

Effect: Flight as a Minor Good Trait, costing 1 point, means that the creature can take off, hover, and travel slowly at a limited height. In most cases, this is just hovering. Their Speed is half of their Coordination (round down, minimum of 1), and they can usually only ascend to a height of around 100 metres. As a Major Good Trait, the creature can really take to the skies. Above 100 metres, their effective Speed is three times their Coordination. They can fly as high as they like (though the Gamemaster may want to take other factors into account such as air, cold, and other environmental effects). If they’re travelling below 100 metres, they will probably travel slower to avoid obstacles and the Gamemaster may impose a limit (or make the character’s player roll additional Awareness and Coordination checks to see if they can react in time to any dangers).

Frenzy (Minor Bad Creature Trait)

GAMEMASTER

Sometimes, a creature becomes so incensed with rage or blood-lust that they cannot think or act beyond attacking blindly. Creatures that go into these frenzies are incredibly dangerous and able to continue when other creatures would collapse from their wounds. Effect: Frenzy is a Minor Bad Trait that means the creature is susceptible to a maddening rage that takes control of their actions. When they are injured, they must make a Resolve and Strength roll with a Difficulty of 12 plus the amount of damage taken. For example, if the creature takes 6 levels of damage, the Difficulty to resist going into Frenzy is 12+6=18. The more injured it gets, the harder it is to resist the Frenzy. If the creature fails the roll, they enter into the Frenzy and will not stop until they kill the source of their injury (even if this is an inanimate object!). If their target is removed from sight, the creature might begin to calm down after a few minutes but otherwise the bloodlust will be too strong. So strong, in fact, they will ignore all injuries - rolls will be made at the creatures full Attributes - unless the creature sustains enough damage to kill it. When the target has been eliminated, or removed from harm, the creature will rest and recover from the frenzy and any negative effects from injury will be applied.

Effect: Grabbed creatures need to make opposed Strength + Athletics rolls against the grabber to break free. The bigger creature of the pair can still move (at half movement if there’s only one size category between them; otherwise at full movement).

Immaterial (Special Bad Creature Trait) Some creatures can shed their physical bodies to become something radically different, no longer physical beings. Immaterial and intangible, they still exist in our reality. Some immaterial beings have the ability to manipulate objects with telekinesis, willing the item to move as if they were able to physically manipulate it, whereas others are unable to and spend their existence struggling to regain some form of normal life. Effect: The creature has no physical form and is unable to interact with physical objects. Most creatures in this state will have the Telekinesis Trait to allow them to move items. It is a debilitating Trait and, while it allows the creature the ability to move into usually inaccessible areas, it is usually more of a trouble than it is a benefit. Immaterial is a Special Bad Trait worth 2 points.

Immortal (Major or Special Good Creature Trait) The Pulps are full of characters who have lived an awfully long time, and may live even longer. Dr Fu Manchu prolonged his life with an age-retarding elixir, while John Carter of Virginia had always been a man of about thirty and couldn’t remember being anything else. There are two types of Immortal being in existence. The first never gets old, never ages and will never die of old age. They simply continue on. While it’s rare for them to

198

Beasts & Monsters die from a disease, they still can, and can certainly be killed through violence or accident. Immortal at this level is a Major Good Trait costing 2 points, and while it doesn’t really affect the actual game (as they can still be killed through violence) they could have already lived a long time. The Gamemaster may allow them to recall something from their past if it suits the story or something from their history could resurface, provoking a whole new adventure. If they have lived ‘ages’, then they may automatically gain the Well-Traveled Trait for the past eras that they were alive and active, at the Gamemaster’s discretion.

Infection

The second type of Immortal is a Special Good Trait. The character may get a little older in appearance, but their longevity is so epic that their aging is hardly noticeable. They can be shot, electrocuted, drowned and fried, but they just don’t seem to die. They may fall down and look dead, but it isn’t long before they’re up and active again. Again, if they’ve been alive for a long time, they will also automatically gain the Well-Traveled Trait for the eras they were alive.

Effect: Infection can work in a couple of ways, both are Major Good Creature Traits. As a transmittable disease, the target needs to be scratched, bitten or take some form of physical damage. If the damage penetrates any armour worn, or if the victim failed with a Bad or Disastrous result, they become infected. At regular intervals (usually every hour or day) they will have to make a Resolve and Strength roll, against the Resolve and Strength of the creature.

You must have purchased the More Than Human Trait before selecting Immortal, though in rare circumstances Immortality may be granted to player characters at the Gamemaster’s discretion. Effect: Immortal is either a Major Trait, meaning the character never ages and will not die of natural causes, or a Special Trait, that means the character cannot be killed. Both may be unbalancing to the game and if you intend to take either version of the Immortal Trait, discuss it with the Gamemaster. Immortal as a Special Trait costs 5 Character Points, as well as reducing the character’s maximum Story Points by 4. If killed during the course of an adventure, the character looks dead and is unable to be revived. Without the Fast Healing Trait, the character will heal at a normal rate (this is usually 1 level of Attribute per day of rest). When they have healed all of the damage they have taken, and returned to their full health, they will wake and be fine. If the damage is really severe, the Gamemaster may keep track of how far into the ‘negative’ your character’s Attributes go, and they will have to heal all of these before they can recover. Any extreme damage, such as loss of limb, may lead to further Bad Traits without the Fast Healing Trait.

Immunity* (Major Good Creature Trait) Many villains and monsters are immune to one form of harm or another. For example, a werewolf is immune to bullets but is vulnerable to silver. Effect: Immunity is a Major Good Creature Trait, costing 2 points. When taking this Trait, the specific thing that the creature is immune to must be clearly defined, whether this is something as simple as bullets, acid, mind control or poison. If the immunity is particularly powerful, such as bullets, the Gamemaster may balance this immunity with a weakness, especially in major villains or player characters.

(Major Good Creature Trait) Some creatures have the horrible ability to infect other beings with their characteristics. It may be the foul fungal rash that spreads across the skin until the victim transforms into a mushroom monster, or the bite that turns an innocent survivor into a stumbling zombie. Perhaps it’s a sting that implants eggs beneath the skin, or the bizarre neurotoxin that allows the creature’s mind to live within the unsuspecting target.

Failing this will mean the infection has spread. The Gamemaster should decide how many failures mean the target has become like the creature (one fail spreads to a whole arm, two fails to the chest, etc.). It should give the characters time to find an antidote! The other way it can work is by making the target susceptible to possession, making them host to the creature, and the infection is actually the creature moving from one host to another. Again, this is usually from sustaining an injury. Once infected (as above), the target will have to make similar rolls, though instead of resisting the infection spreading, this is to resist becoming possessed (see “Being Possessed” page 133).

Invisible (Special Good Creature Trait) The ability to be unseen is possibly one of the best weapons and defence on the battlefield. It is a rare ability in nature, but a mild version of this Trait can be accomplished with shifting pigments in the skin, allowing chameleon-like blending into their surroundings.

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Full invisibility is more commonly found in ghostly, intangible creatures that barely exist in this reality. Effect: Invisibility is a Special Good Creature Trait that comes in various levels. If the ability is natural, and the creature can blend into the background to be unseen, then this is a Major Good Trait that costs 2 points. If the creature remains immobile, any attempt to spot it suffers a -4 penalty. Full optic camouflage is usually a Trait that would be part of a Gadget and costs 4 points. This provides the same -4 penalty to be spotted but the creature can move around without losing this advantage. While it is usually a Gadget Trait, it can be a natural ability if the Gamemaster can rationalise it. If this invisibility cannot be turned on or off, as in the case of the creature being ethereal or immaterial, the same -4 penalty is actually a Bad Trait, providing 2 points. 199

Pulp Fantastic All of these levels of invisibility can be purchased or taken multiple times to provide better invisibility with the penalty being cumulative. For example, if the creature has almost perfect invisibility through optic camouflage, they could take the Trait twice, providing a -8 penalty to anyone trying to spot them.

to reflect various forms of attack that the creature has, or it can work on a single weapon and increase the damage cumulatively.

Leap

The Networked Trait means that the creature is connected in some way to others of its kind. Whether this is an inbuilt gadget that connects them to others, a telepathic field or a ‘hive mind’, it means that if one is in trouble or injured, it can call for aid, though others are in close proximity to help is another matter.

(Special Good Creature Trait) Some creatures can leap great distances either horizontally or vertically, without the need for a run-up. Effect: The creature can leap at any point. If the creature makes a successful Coordination + Athletics roll against a difficulty of 12, it lands precisely and can act immediately. If the creature fails the roll it lands poorly and must spend the next Action re-orienting itself before acting. Leap is a Special Good Creature Trait which costs 3 points and can be taken multiple times. The first time it is taken allows the creature to jump twice its own body length, and each time it is taken thereafter doubles the distance the creature can Leap.

Lurker (Minor Good Creature Trait) This creature lies in wait for its prey. Effect: Characters need to make a contested roll of Awareness + Survival against the lurker’s Coordination + Subterfuge. If there are several characters in a group, use the lowest result from among the characters’ rolls. If the lurker wins, it gains a +2 bonus to ambush attacks.

Natural Weapons

GAMEMASTER

(Minor or Major Good Creature Trait) The creature has some form of weaponry that is part of their form. This could be something as simple as toxic breath, a poisonous bite or sharp claws, to built in guns or being able to fire sharp spines. As long is it is not something that is usually dropped or carried (like a gun or bow), and is part of the creature then it is technically a ‘natural’ weapon. Effect: Natural Weapons is a Minor or Major Good Trait that can be purchased multiple times if the creature is particularly dangerous. As a Minor Trait, the weapon is only for close combat. These are usually teeth, claws, spines or electrical shock or something similar. A weapon like this increases the damage of the usual physical attack by +2, so the creatures damage is equal to their Strength +2. This increase is just like normal close combat weapons, as the Trait adds blades or ‘dangerous’ damage to their physical attack. As a Major Trait, the weapon shoots something (like a poisonous spine, fingernail, flaming breath or built in gun). A ranged Natural Weapon will have the same damage (5 (2/5/7)) but can reach a greater distance than a simple swipe of a claw. This Trait can be purchased multiple times 200

Networked (Minor or Major Good Creature Trait)

Effect: Networked is a Minor or Major Good Creature Trait. As a Minor Trait, the creatures simply sense each other and know when one is in trouble. They can act together fairly simply - when one wakes up, all of them do. They don’t really ‘talk’ to each other but they know where to congregate as a group. As a Major Trait, they have the equivalent of the Telepathy Trait connecting them to each other, or even to a hive mind. Most of the time, the range of this communication is limited. Gamemasters may wish to use the Telepathy Trait as a guide.

Nocturnal (Minor Bad Creature Trait) The creature prefers to hunt and forage at night. Effect: During the day, it suffers a -2 penalty to its Awareness. Some nocturnal creatures are slower to react during the day, dropping one speed category and gaining the Passive Trait, but others are more defensive and dangerous when woken unexpectedly and gain the Aggressive Trait.

Passive (Minor Bad Creature Trait) The creature is slow to react. Either it is too stupid to realise it is in danger, or it is so large that the things that can actually threaten it are extremely rare. Effect: The creature suffers a -2 penalty to its Coordination for the purposes of determining who moves first in the Fighting Phase.

Poison (Special Good Creature Trait) The creature’s attacks can inject a dangerous poison. Effect: The cost of the Trait varies depending on how nasty the poison is. As a guide, use the table below. Usually, a poison power is combined with another attack. COST

POISON DAMAGE

CHECK DIFFICULTY

1

2/4/6

15

2

4/6/9

21

3

4 / 8 /12

24

Beasts & Monsters

Possess

Savage Roar

(Special Good Creature Trait)

(Major Good Creature Trait)

This is technically the highest possible level of the Hypnosis or Telepathy Traits (see page 48 and page 62). Possess allows the creature to take over another person and control their actions. While in control of the host body, the creature can make it do or say almost anything (except make the host kill themselves, the survival instinct is too strong for that).

The creature can make an intimidating audible display of aggression that strikes terror into the hearts of its enemies.

Possessing someone is exhausting and if the creature has left its body behind somewhere, it will need protecting (and may die of starvation if they are out of their body too long).

Effect: Like the Fear Factor Trait (page 197), this Trait deals with the creature’s ability to inspire terror. Unlike Fear Factor, those affected only need to hear the creature to be affected by it. Hearing the Savage Roar forces the character to make a Resolve and Ingenuity roll against the creature’s Resolve and Presence. Failure means that the character will freeze the first time he actually encounters the creature, losing an Action. If the character succeeds he may act as normal.

Effect: Just as the Hypnosis Trait, the target will have the opportunity to resist becoming possessed (with a Resolve and Strength roll, or Ingenuity in some cases). The possessing creature receives a +4 bonus on their first roll to possess someone. If they fail this, every attempt that follows loses the bonus. As a good guide, the possessing creature can inhabit the body for as many hours as they have Resolve, though very powerful foes could inhabit a body indefinitely. If they force the host to do something very against their nature (such as attack one of their friends) the host will have a chance to resist (and on a Fantastic result, the possessing entity may be rejected from the host completely!). For additional information, see ‘Being Possessed’ on page 133.

Replication (Major Good Creature Trait) Unlike the Infection Trait, Replication means that the creature can multiply itself by various means without the need of transmitting its creature-ness to another life form. It could be that they ‘bud’ and create a youthful clone of themselves organically without natural reproduction, or it could be that any limbs lost or removed will grow into a duplicate version of themselves.

12

Effect: As a Major Good Trait, the creature can replicate itself outside the normal expected means of reproduction. This can mean spawning a childlike offspring or creating a duplicate of the original. The creature will have to make a Resolve and Strength roll, Difficulty 15. A result of Success or higher means that the replication is successful and another version of the creature has been ‘born’. It will be confused and disorientated for a few minutes. A childlike offspring will grow at a normal rate unless artificially accelerated and will learn as it goes. A duplicate will be ‘born’ with the same Attributes and Skills of the original. If a player character takes this Trait, the duplicate will not be ‘playable’ by the same player, unless the original is incapacitated or killed. Gamemasters should be aware of the way this Trait can produce an army of clones or duplicates that could threaten to take over the world or otherwise quickly unbalance a game.

201

Pulp Fantastic

Screamer!

Snap

(Minor Good Trait)

(Major Good Creature Trait – Requires the Bite Trait)

The creature can scream really loud. While this is not normally considered a very special ability, this scream is loud enough to be heard over great distances, a boon when trying to attract help or possibly scare off attackers.

The creature makes another Bite attack.

Effect: When scared or threatened the character can scream really loud, loud enough to be heard up to a mile away. Anyone in the room with the screamer is stunned for their rest of the Action Round, suffering a -2 penalty to all of their actions. This should allow the screamer to make a run for it, or possibly to hide. Screamers cannot take the Brave Trait and never receive bonuses to resist fear effects.

Shapeshift (Minor, Major or Special Good Creature Trait) Some creatures and characters have the ability to look like something else. This is especially useful if you’re an 8 foot tall green denizen of Mars with four arms, or if you wish to try to mimic someone to gain information. The actual methods of ‘shapeshifting’ can be as complex as facial muscle manipulation, or a racial ability, to something as basic as wearing a fat suit and a mask. Effect: As a Minor Good Trait, this means that the creature can disguise itself as a fairly convincing representation of another person, though close examination may reveal the disguise. As a Major Good Trait, the creature can physically shapeshift into a perfect copy of another person. If the creature is able to shapeshift into multiple forms and replicate actual people, then the Trait is a Special Good Trait that costs 4 points.

Slow-Moving (Minor or Major Bad Creature Trait)

GAMEMASTER

A lot of creatures are incredibly dangerous but thankfully many of them move slowly.

202

Effect: Slow-Moving is a Minor or Major Bad Trait that means the creature is slower than your average character. As a Minor Bad Trait, the creature’s effective Speed is halved (round down), so a Coordination of 4 means that the creature has a Speed of 2 in a chase. The creature’s Speed has a minimum of 1, though particularly slow creatures can sometimes have Speeds that are slower (down to 0.5, etc.) but this requires additional calculations on behalf of the Gamemaster and may be ignored. As a Major Bad Trait, the creature’s Speed is effectively zero. The creature does not move or, if it does, it moves so slowly that it is regarded as stationary in a chase situation.

Effect: This doesn’t cost an action—the creature can keep Snapping as long as it wants, but each Snap has the usual -2 penalty for taking extra Actions in a round.

Special (Special Good Creature Trait) Sometimes, creatures can do something truly remarkable and odd. Something that none of the other powers and abilities listed here covers. This Trait allows the Gamemaster to go wild and create the odd and special powers that can sometimes define a species. Effect: This is a Special Trait that costs 3 points or more. The more powerful the ability, the more the Trait costs. Using other powers as a guide, the Gamemaster can create any power they feel necessary to make a cool creature. This can be around 3-4 points for a minor ability, to 7-8 points for something more useful (like being able to move faster than people can see). Specific Traits for these powers can be created, or the Gamemaster can simply use the Special Trait to cover these.

Stalker (Major Good Creature Trait) The creature likes to follow its prey and wait for the right moment to strike. Effect: The creature may make opposed Coordination + Subterfuge rolls against the victim’s Awareness + Survival. If there are several characters in a group, use the lowest result from among the characters’ rolls. If the lurker wins, it gains a +4 bonus to sneak attacks.

Stinger (Minor Good Creature Trait) The creature has a spiked tail or stinger that lashes its prey. Effects: Stinger attacks usually do only ½ normal damage, but a creature can make an extra Stinger attack each round at the cost of one Story Point per attack.

Stomp (Minor Good Creature Trait) Creatures who stomp use their size to crush others. Effect: Stomping isn’t a very accurate attack, suffering a −2 penalty to the attack roll, but it does do a lot of damage. (Strength +4 at least).

Beasts & Monsters

Strange Appearance

Trample

(Special Bad Creature Trait)

(Major Good Creature Trait)

The character has a peculiar, disquieting and obviously strange appearance. It could be that they’re basically human but have red skin, or have a large head to accommodate the massive brain power, or pointy ears, scaly skin or cat’s eyes! Players should feel free to be creative.

The creature just charges over its enemy.

Effect: Strange Appearance is a Bad Trait that can be either 2 Points or 4 Points. The more severe the Strange Appearance Trait, the more odd the creature looks. As a 2 point Bad Trait, Strange Appearance means the creature is basically humanoid but with a distinctively weird feature. If the creature is sentient, at the gm’s discretion, they suffer a -2 penalty to all social rolls when dealing with people who’ve never met them before. As a 4 point Bad Trait, the strangeness of the creature is much more extreme. They may have tentacles instead of limbs, or compound eyes, or a face like a squid – they could look like anything! Again, when dealing with people who are used to them, this may not necessarily a problem, but if they meet less experienced peoples they will suffer a -4 penalty on social rolls (possibly even become the target of scared locals who assume they’re a hostile monster!).

Effect: It inflicts Strength damage on all creatures that the creature runs over. Characters can dodge a Trample attack with a successful Coordination + Athletics reaction. Trample is a good power to give to large herbivores, especially ones that travel in herds. A stampede is basically just a series of Trample attacks—even if the character dodges the first trampling animal, he has to React to the next one…and the next.…and the next.

Warning (Major Good Creature Trait) Another power for herd and pack animals, the creature can sound a warning (or transmit a danger signal in some other way, like a pheromone or a display of some kind). Effect: The Warning removes any bonuses the characters may have for launching surprise or ambush attacks on the rest of the herd or pack.

Teleport (Major Good Creature Trait) It is rare for a creature to be able to teleport, to literally disappear from one location and appear in another. However, some masterminds have developed the technology to do it, and some, particularly rare supernatural creatures or alien beings can do it without the means of gadgets or gizmos. If they can teleport with a device, then it’s simply an Invention. If they can teleport without a device, appearing wherever is necessary, then this is a Trait.

12

Effect: Teleport is a Major Good Creature Trait, costing 2 points. The creature must make an Awareness and Resolve roll to teleport, and can only ‘jump’ to places they are familiar with. Most creatures that appear in unfamiliar places have some sort of psychic ability to see the location before teleporting. Failure means the creature doesn’t move. Frequently, creatures that teleport find themselves weakened and disorientated for a few minutes until they can recover and get their bearings.

203

Chapter 13 Bestiary

E

ach entry includes a physical description of the creature, a summary of its nature and common tactics, and suggestions for how it might integrate into Pulp society or, in the case of a fantastic creature, burrow its way into the human subconscious. Many creatures have a difficult time fitting into Pulp society in a traditional way and are often found at the social fringes of urban life. Others are highly adaptive and can easily create their own power bases within our world.

Animals An opponent does not need to have a gun – or even be human – to be dangerous, as any big game hunter will testify. Nature is red in tooth and claw, and Pulp heroes often had to defend themselves against hungry crocs, venomous insects and rampaging beasts.

Alligator This large, carnivorous reptile prowls the edges of the large waterways of the south-eastern United States— including the Mississippi River, for which it earned its Latin name. Known for its long, powerful tail and broad snapping snout and jaws, the “gator” tends to avoid human contact unless threatened (or if a female’s eggs are threatened). Often hunted for its valuable hide, an alligator feeds on large and small animals, even preying on cattle or deer when the opportunity arises. Adventurers should remember to keep an eye peeled for floating logs at the edges of rivers and lakes—there just might be a pair of eyes staring back from one of those logs. Awareness:

3

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

1

Resolve:

1

Strength:

7

Size: Big Speed: Average Skills: Subterfuge 4 Traits: Amphibious (Minor Good Creature Trait) Alligators are as at home in the water as they are on land. Armor (Minor Good Creature Trait) An alligator’s tough, scaly skin gives it 5 points of armor. Bite (Special Good Creature Trait) The bite of an alligator does Strength +2 damage. Grab (Minor Good Creature Trait) Alligators grab their prey with their jaws and drown them. Lurker (Minor Good Creature Trait) Alligators lie submerged in wait of prey. On a successful opposed Coordination+Subterfuge roll, alligators gain +2 to ambush attacks. Character Points: 25

Pulp Fantastic

Bat

Big Cat

Nocturnal flying mammals, bats have long been a symbol of supernatural evil, but are normally quite harmless. Some, however, have been known to harbor rabies and other diseases, and can be encountered in swarms.

Lions, tigers, panthers, jaguars, cheetahs; all fall under the category of Big Cat.

Awareness:

2

Coordination:

6

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

1

Resolve:

1

Strength:

1

Size: Tiny

Coordination:

7

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

1

Resolve:

2

Strength:

5

Size: Large Speed: Fast Traits:

Traits:

Enhanced Senses (Minor Good Creature Trait) Big cats have eyes attuned to fast-moving prey.

Enhanced Senses (Major Good Creature Trait) Bats navigate in the dark using sonar

Fast-Moving (Minor Good Creature Trait) Big Cats move at a Speed of 11.

Flight (Major Good Creature Trait) Bats are excellent fliers.

Natural Weapons (Minor Good Creature Trait) The fangs and claws of a big cat do Strength +2 damage.

Nocturnal (Minor Bad Creature Trait) Bats suffer -2 to their Awareness in daylight. Character Points: 12

Savage Roar (Major Good Creature Trait) The roar of a big cat inspires terror.

Bear Large omnivorous mammals, bears can be quite aggressive, depending on their species and the abundance of food in the area. Often highly territorial, a hungry, sick or injured bear is not above killing and eating a human being. Awareness:

3

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

3

Resolve:

2

Strength:

8

Size: Big

Stalker (Minor Good Creature Trait) On a successful opposed Coordination+Subterfuge roll, big cats gain +4 to sneak attacks. Character Points: 33

Bird, Large These stats can be used to represent eagles, hawks, vultures and other large birds.

Speed: Average

Awareness:

5

Coordination:

5

Ingenuity:

1

Skills: Fighting 2

Presence:

1

Resolve:

1

Strength:

1

Traits: Natural Weapons (Minor Good Creature Trait) The fangs and claws of a bear do Strength +2 damage.

GAMEMASTER

5

Skills: Fighting 2, Subterfuge 4

Speed: Fast

206

Awareness:

Savage Roar (Major Good Creature Trait) The roar of an angry bear inspires terror. Tough (Major Good Trait) Bears have dense slabs of muscle, reducing damage taken by 2. Character Points: 26

Size: Small Speed: Average Traits: Flight (Major Good Creature Trait) Natural Weapons (Minor Good Creature Trait) The beak and talons of a large bird do Strength +2 damage. Character Points: 17

Bestiary

Boar (Wild Pig)

Gorilla

A wild boar’s hide is covered with short, woolly, grey-black hair. Along the spine, hair mixes with stiffer bristles to form a sort of mane. The average adult boar stands 3 feet high at the shoulder and measures roughly 4 feet long. Its formidable tusks protrude from its lower jaw and can grow up to 12 inches long.

The largest of the apes, gorillas are primarily herbivorous and live in the forests of central Africa. The closest relative to man, Gorillas are intelligent, social and territorial. Awareness:

3

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

2

Presence:

2

Resolve:

2

Strength:

8

Awareness:

3

Coordination:

5

Ingenuity:

1

Size: Big

Presence:

3

Resolve:

1

Strength:

2

Speed: Average

Size: Small

Skills: Athletics 1, Fighting 3

Speed: Average

Traits:

Skills: Fighting 2, Subterfuge 2

Aggressive (Major Good Creature Trait) Gorillas are highly territorial.

Traits:

Frenzy (Minor Bad Creature Trait) When wounded a gorilla can easily become enraged.

Aggressive (Major Good Creature Trait) Boars will frequently attack animals twice their size.

Keen Senses (Minor Good Trait) Gorillas have an exceptional sense of smell.

Enhanced Senses (Minor Good Creature Trait) Boars have poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell.

Never Gives Up (Major Good Trait) Gorillas are stubborn and durable.

Natural Weapons (Minor Good Creature Trait) The tusks of a wild boar do Strength +2 damage.

Tough (Minor Good Trait) Dense muscle and fur reduces damage taken by 2.

Tough (Major Good Trait) Boars are dense masses of bad attitude, reducing all damage taken by 3.

Character Points: 30

Monitor Lizard

Character Points: 24

Chimpanzee The statistics below represent a chimpanzee, but they can also be used for any ape or monkey of similar size, such as a howler monkey. Most such animals are omnivorous, although some can be quite fierce and aggressive. Awareness:

3

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

2

Presence:

1

Resolve:

3

Strength:

5

Size: Average Speed: Average Skills: Athletics 2, Fighting 2 Traits: Aggressive (Major Good Creature Trait) Chimps can be unpredictably violent.

A monitor lizard measures between 8 inches and 10 feet long, depending on the particular species. Sleek and fast, it has a long neck ending in a tapered head, muscular legs, and a long, powerful tail. Awareness:

3

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

1

Resolve:

3

Strength:

3

Size: Average Speed: Fast Skills: Subterfuge 4 Traits: Bite (Special Good Creature Trait) The bite of a monitor lizard does Strength +2 damage. Climbing (Minor Good Creature Trait)

Climbing (Minor Good Creature Trait) Chimps are agile climbers.

Natural Weapons (Minor Good Creature Trait) The monitor lizard can spray poison in a 15-foot cone.

Frenzy (Minor Bad Creature Trait) When injured or scared a chimp can go wild.

Poison (Special Good Creature Trait) The poison of a monitor lizard does 2 / 4 / 6 damage.

Natural Weapons (Minor Good Creature Trait) The teeth of a chimpanzee do Strength +2 damage.

13

Character Points: 24

Character Points: 27 207

Pulp Fantastic

Octopus

Rat

The most intelligent and adaptable of the invertebrates, the Octopus is an 8-limbed cephalopod mollusc with a hard beak and no internal skeleton. Octopuses are ambush predators and have a number of defensive strategies, including the ability to expel a cloud of ink, adaptive camouflage, the ability to move swiftly using water jets and their ability to hide. All octopuses have a venomous bite, but few are toxic to humans. These stats can also be used for squid.

Wherever there is man, the rat is sure to follow. Omnivorous, scavenging rodents, rats are remarkable survivors, adapting to many ecological niches. On their own, rats can be quite timid, but in large groups they can be ferocious predators. They rarely attack humans unless extremely hungry or cornered. Rats are usually small, though in the inner cities some rats can be the size of small dogs. Rats frequently carry disease. Any bite from a rat carries a small chance of infecting the wound.

Awareness:

4

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

3

Awareness:

4

Coordination:

5

Ingenuity:

2

Presence:

1

Resolve:

3

Strength:

4

Presence:

1

Resolve:

1

Strength:

1

Size: Average

Size: Tiny

Speed: Fast

Speed: Average

Skills: Subterfuge 4

Skills: Athletics 1, Subterfuge 2

Traits:

Traits:

Additional Limbs 2 (Special Good Creature Trait) Octopuses can take two additional actions per round without penalty.

Bite (Special Good Creature Trait) Rat bites are small but painful, doing Strength +1 damage, and often carry disease.

Aquatic (Minor Bad Creature Trait) Octopuses can only leave the water for very limited periods.

Burrowing (Minor Good Creature Trait) Rats are effective burrowers.

Constrict (Minor Good Creature Trait) Octopuses can squeeze their prey into immobility before killing it. Fast-Moving (Minor Good Creature Trait) An octopus can jet backward at high speed. Grab (Minor Good Creature Trait) Octopuses grapple with their prey before biting it. Lurker (Minor Good Creature Trait) On a successful opposed Coordination+Subterfuge roll, Octopuses gain +2 to ambush attacks.

GAMEMASTER

Natural Weapons (Minor Good Creature Trait) The beak of an Octopus does Strength +1 damage. Special: Ink Cloud (Special Good Creature Trait) The octopus can emit a cloud of jet-black ink as a free action. The normal octopus’s ink cloud is a 3 metre cube, within which all normal vision is obscured. Character Points: 31

Climbing (Minor Good Creature Trait) Rats are agile climbers. Character Points: 20

Scorpion These small, venomous arachnids inhabit the dry, sandy deserts and hot humid jungles. These stats can also be used to represent large venomous spiders (just replace the Stinger Trait with the Bite Trait). Awareness:

4

Coordination:

2

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

1

Resolve:

1

Strength:

1

Size: Tiny Speed: Slow Skills: Subterfuge 3 Traits: Aggressive (Major Good Creature Trait) Scorpions are quick to react if attacked or disturbed. Climbing (Major Good Creature Trait) Scorpions aren’t quite as good at climbing as spiders, but it’s close. Nocturnal (Minor Bad Creature Trait) Scorpions are active at night. Poison (Special Good Creature Trait) Scorpion venom does 4 / 6 / 9 damage. Stinger (Minor Good Creature Trait) A scorpion’s main weapon is its sting. Character Points: 19

208

Bestiary

Shark

Snake, Venomous

Sharks are one of the ocean’s most perfectly adapted predators.

Venomous snakes tend to prefer to hunt at night, immobilising and killing their prey with a poisonous bite. In general, snakes do not attack creatures larger than themselves except in self-defence. The toxicity of snake venom varies according to species, with some being no more toxic than a bee-sting, while others are quite lethal.

Awareness:

5

Coordination:

5

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

1

Resolve:

2

Strength:

6

Size: Big Speed: Average Traits:

Awareness:

4

Coordination:

5

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

1

Resolve:

1

Strength:

1

Size: Small

Aquatic (Minor Bad Creature Trait) Sharks cannot leave the water, luckily for us.

Speed: Fast

Bite (Special Good Creature Trait) The bite of a shark does Strength +3 damage.

Traits: Bite (Special Good Creature Trait) The bite of a snake does Strength +1 damage.

Enhanced Senses (Minor Good Creature Trait) Sharks can sense the location of any object (including living creatures) in the water within a range of 50 metres.

Enhanced Senses (Minor Good Creature Trait) Snakes can sense the heat of their prey and taste their scent.

Keen Senses (Minor Good Trait) Sharks can scent blood in the water up to 3 kilometres away.

Nocturnal (Minor Bad Creature Trait) Snakes prefer to hunt at night. Poison (Special Good Creature Trait) The venom of a snake does at least 2 /4 /6 damage.

Character Points: 23

Snake, Constrictor

Character Points: 15

Constrictor snakes hunt by grabbing prey with their mouths and then squeezing it with their powerful bodies. In general, snakes do not attack creatures larger than themselves except in self-defence.

Wolf

Awareness:

4

Coordination:

5

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

1

Resolve:

1

Strength:

5

Size: Average Speed: Average Traits: Constrict (Minor Good Creature Trait) Constrictors kill their prey by crushing it. Grab (Minor Good Creature Trait) Once coiled about their prey, constrictors are hard to escape. Character Points: 17

Wolves are highly social, predatory pack animals that live in temperate climates. Wolf packs are highly organised with a defined social order and vary in size and color according to climate and subspecies. They attack by bite and claws and prefer to run their prey down, using bites to wound their prey into exhaustion before launching the final attack. Wolves normally live in packs of 2-20 individuals, dominated by an alpha male and alpha female. Awareness:

6

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

1

Resolve:

2

Strength:

3

13

Size: Average Speed: Average Traits: Bite (Minor Good Creature Trait) The bite of a wolf does Strength +2 damage. Keen Senses (Minor Good Trait) Wolves possess heightened senses. Tough (Minor Good Trait) Wolves are sturdy, reducing all damage taken by 2. Character Points: 22

209

Pulp Fantastic

Cryptids

Ape Man

The dark and lonely places of the world are home to many mysterious creatures, organisms whose existence is not yet recognized by science, but are nonetheless real. Many masterminds and archvillains use these “cryptids” as guards and weapons. Here are just a few of them.

Ape, Giant Reputed to exist only on isolated and forbidding islands in the South Pacific, these enormous primates closely resemble African mountain gorillas, but on an unprecedented scale. Thought possibly to have descended from the giant pre-historic Gigantopithecus of mainland Asia, these rare creatures are rumoured to be worshipped as gods on some islands. Thought to be nearly 8 metres tall, giant apes have long been regarded as simply the subject of sailors yarns, though recent archaeological evidence suggests otherwise and rumors of sightings continue to circulate in dockside bars.

Awareness:

4

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

1

Resolve:

1

Strength:

5

Size: Average Speed: Average Skills: Athletics 2, Craft 1, Fighting 2, Knowledge 1, Marksman 1, Subterfuge 1, Survival 3 Traits: Keen Senses (Minor Good Trait)

Awareness:

3

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

2

Tough (Minor Good Trait)

Presence:

2

Resolve:

2

Strength:

16

Equipment: Stone weapons (+2 Strength bonus)

Size: Huge Speed: Average

Character Points: 28

Skills: Athletics 4, Fighting 4

Kraken

Traits:

Never Gives Up (Major Good Trait) Giant apes are hard to knock down.

Krakens are gigantic tentacular aquatic predators, distantly related to the giant squid. Known in Japan as the Akkorokamui, these creatures inhabit the abyssal ocean deeps and only rarely travel to the surface. Unlike most deep-sea organisms, Krakens adapt quickly to pressure changes and seem to experience no difficulty operating at different depths. Krakens vary in size, with juveniles starting at 30 metres long (about as large as a blue whale), with no upper limit. Krakens appear to continue to grow throughout their life-span, with mythology reporting creatures so large that they have been mistaken for islands.

Savage Roar (Major Good Creature Trait) The roar of a giant ape warns trespassers from its territory.

Unlike the giant squid, krakens are covered with dense armored scales. In adult krakens, these scales carry large accretions of molluscs and other marine life.

Tough (Minor Good Trait) Giant apes are protected by dense bones and slabs of muscle, reducing damage taken by 2.

It is unknown what krakens hunt in their natural habitat, but they have been reported attacking whales, ships, submarines and occasionally even coastal communities. Some krakens seem to be able to produce bio-luminescent displays capable of inducing a hypnotic state.

Aggressive (Major Good Creature Trait) Giant Apes are highly territorial. Frenzy (Minor Bad Creature Trait) When wounded a giant ape often goes wild. Keen Senses (Minor Good Trait) Like their smaller cousins, giant apes have an exceptional sense of smell.

GAMEMASTER

Sometimes referred to as a “Cave Man”, the Ape Man is a form of primitive man, similar to the Neanderthal. Ape Men are usually either mute or limited to grunts and signing for communication. Ape Men typically exist in extended family groups, dominated by a physically powerful and cunning male and his mate. They are usually nomadic unless restricted by geography, and subsist by hunting rather than agriculture.

Character Points: 54

Awareness:

4

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

3

Presence:

4

Resolve:

4

Strength:

40

Size: Colossal Speed: Average Skills: Fighting 3, Subterfuge 4

210

Bestiary Traits: Additional Limbs 4 (Special Good Creature Trait) Krakens have a minimum of ten tentacles. Aquatic (Minor Bad Creature Trait) Krakens have their Coordination reduced to 1 when on land. Armor (Major Good Creature Trait) The armor of the Kraken reduces all damage taken by 10. Constrict (Minor Good Creature Trait) Krakens crush their prey before devouring it. Fear Factor 4 (Special Good Creature Trait) Grab (Minor Good Creature Trait) Krakens grab their prey before crushing it. Hypnosis (Major Good Trait) Krakens can induce hypnotize their prey into immobility through weaving complex patterns of light with their bio-luminescence. Immortal (Major Good Creature Trait) Krakens are ancient and ageless. Lurker (Minor Good Creature Trait) Krakens prefer ambush predation. On a successful opposed Coordination+Subterfuge roll, Krakens gain +2 ambush attacks. Natural Weapons (Minor Good Creature Trait) The suckers on a krakens tentacles have razor edges and do Strength +2 damage. Character Points: 83

Stinging Bell Plant The Stinging Bell Plant is a mobile, predatory carnivorous plant first encountered by explorers in the steaming jungles of South East Asia, but since been found in the Congo Basin, the Amazonian rain-forest and other equatorial jungles across the globe. The origin of the Stinging Bell Plant is unknown, but the wide distribution has led some authorities to propose the theory that the plants may have come to Earth on cometary debris. While many botanists refute this theory, and still more deny the Bell Plant even exists, it is true that the Stinging Bell Plant resembles no other plant on Earth. Others believe it to be the product of selective breeding, the deliberate creation of a diseased mind.

tri-pedal root structure to drag itself over to the corpse, where it digs feeder roots into the body and excretes digestive enzymes. Stinging Bell Plants reproduce by releasing drifting white seeds, similar to dandelions, into the air. Awareness:

3

Coordination:

2

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

2

Resolve:

4

Strength:

7

Size: Big Speed: Average Skills: Fighting 3, Subterfuge 4, Survival 6 Traits: Fear Factor 4 (Special Good Creature Trait) Lurker (Minor Good Creature Trait) Stinging Bell Plants are ambush predators. Networked (Minor Good Creature Trait) Stinging Bell Plants apparently communicate Never Gives Up (Major Good Trait) Sting Bell Plants cannot be knocked out or incapacitated. Poison (Special Good Creature Trait) The Stinging Bell Plant is highly toxic and does 4 / 8 /12 damage. Slow-Moving (Minor Bad Creature Trait) The Stinging Bell Plants roots drag it along slowly. Stinger (Minor Good Creature Trait) The primary weapon of the Stinging Bell Plant. Tough (Minor Good Trait) The tough fibers of a Stinging Bell Plant reduce all damage taken by 3. Character Points: 44

13

The Stinging Bell Plant resembles the funnel of a greatly enlarged pitcher plant, emerging from a dense round bole of thickly gnarled roots. The funnel contains a stamen-like stinger on a long fibrous filament that, when fully extended, can measure nearly four metres in length. The Stinging Bell Plant can launch the sting at high speed and considerable accuracy. Contact with bare skin can cause an agonizing chemical burn, while repeated stings can be lethal. Bell Plants are ambush predators, striking from a distance to incapacitate and kill their prey. Once a target has been stung to death the Stinging Bell Plant uses its unique 211

Pulp Fantastic

Mongolian Death Worm

Spider, Giant

Also known as the olgoi-khorkhoi (“large intestine worm”) for its resemblance to human intestines, the Mongolian Death Worm is a bizarre and horrible creature that lurks in the arid wastes of the southern Gobi Desert. Ranging from 2 to 5 metres long, the Death Worm is the deep red of dried blood and is coated with a thick acidic slime that causes intense pain when touched. The creature has a highly venomous bite and can spray its toxin at a distance, an attack it uses to kill its prey before dragging it underground. Death Worms reproduce by laying eggs in the decaying remains of their prey, buried in underground nests.

Spiders are perhaps one of the most numerous and diverse predators on the planet. With over 43,000 species of spider, they are found on every continent on earth, and have even been encountered in the distant reaches of the upper atmosphere. Giant spiders are, thankfully, considerably rarer. An adult giant spider is approximately the size of a large dog, and moves with the same degree of speed and agility. Giant spiders are rarely social, but when they do operate in groups they are as effective as a wolf pack, hounding their prey to the point of exhaustion before pouncing and using their venomous fangs to immobilize them.

Awareness:

4

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

3

Resolve:

4

Strength:

5

Size: Big Speed: Fast Skills: Athletics 3, Fighting 3, Marksman 3, Subterfuge 3, Survival 4 Traits: Bite (Special Good Creature Trait) The Death Worm injects venom with its grasping mandibles, doing Strength +2 damage. Burrowing (Minor Good Creature Trait) The Death Worm travels beneath the sands of the Gobi Desert. Enhanced Senses (Minor Good Creature Trait) The Death Worm can track its prey by the vibration of their movement. Lurker (Minor Good Creature Trait) The Death Worm prefers to lie in wait for prey. On a successful opposed Coordination+Subterfuge roll, Death Worms gain +2 to ambush attacks.

GAMEMASTER

Natural Weapons (Major Good Creature Trait) The Death Worm can spit venom up to 5 metres Poison 3 (Special Good Creature Trait) The venom of the Death Worm is highly toxic, doing 4 / 8 /12 damage. Character Points: 47

Though most giant spiders resemble greatly enlarged versions of South American bird-eating spiders like the tarantula, other species have been encountered, including some analogous to the “trapdoor” spider. Awareness:

3

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

2

Resolve:

1

Strength:

3

Size: Small Speed: Fast Skills: Athletics 3, Fighting 2, Subterfuge 3, Survival 2 Traits: Bite (Special Good Creature Trait) Giant Spiders have a nasty bite, doing Strength +2 damage. Climbing (Major Good Creature Trait) Giant Spiders can crawl on walls and ceilings. Fast-Moving (Major Good Creature Trait) Giant Spiders can scurry with a Speed of 6. Fear Factor 2 (Special Good Creature Trait) Giant Spiders gain +4 to rolls when trying to intimidate prey, and characters need to make a Fear test when first seeing them. Leap (Special Good Creature Trait) Giant Spiders can leap twice the length of their own body. Nocturnal (Minor Bad Creature Trait) Giant Spiders suffer -2 to their awareness in daylight. Poison 2 (Special Good Creature Trait) Giant Spider bites are poisonous, doing 4 / 6 / 9 damage. Stalker (Major Good Creature Trait) On a successful opposed Coordination+Subterfuge roll, Giant Spiders gain +4 to sneak attacks. Tough (Minor Good Trait) Giant Spiders reduce all damage taken by 2. Character Points: 38

212

Bestiary

Spider, Monstrous

Vampire Bat, Giant

Monstrous spiders are on average roughly the size of a family car. These creatures, like the common spider, enjoy an almost 360 degree field of vision due to their multiple eyes and possess fangs capable of punching through metal. Monstrous spiders differ from common spiders in that they possess a unique internal hydrostatic skeleton as well as an external exoskeleton, which helps support their internal organs and enables their lungs to function. Monstrous spiders also seem to possess a form of hyper-efficient oxygen carrier in their blood instead of hemoglobin, increasing the effectiveness of their respiration.

Unlike their smaller cousins, Giant Vampire Bats are predators with a wingspan of over ten feet. In Madagascar it is known as Fangalabolo (“the fear that flies by night”), while in Cameroon it is called the Olitiau, and in Indonesia it goes by the name of Orang-bati. Thought to be large enough to carry off a child, the giant vampire bat preys on cattle, primates and any humans foolish enough to be out at night. In times of scarcity, swarms of the bats have been known to descend on villages and ships at sea, leaving everyone white, dead and drained of blood.

Due to their immense size and weight, monstrous spiders are poor climbers and do not spin webs as traps. Instead they stalk their prey and bring it down with brute force. All monstrous spiders are highly venomous, paralyzing their prey with fast-acting neurotoxins before injecting them with digestive enzymes and sucking out the resulting organic slurry. Awareness:

3

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

2

Presence:

4

Resolve:

3

Strength:

8

Size: Big Speed: Average Skills: Athletics 3, Fighting 4 Traits: Bite (Special Good Creature Trait) Monstrous Spiders have a nasty bite, doing Strength +2 damage. Fear Factor 3 (Special Good Creature Trait) Monstrous Spiders gain +6 to rolls when trying to intimidate prey, and characters need to make a Fear test when first seeing them. Nocturnal (Minor Bad Creature Trait) Monstrous Spiders suffer -2 to their awareness in daylight.

Awareness:

3

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

3

Presence:

4

Resolve:

3

Strength:

3

Size: Big Speed: Average Skills: Athletics 4 (Flying 6), Fighting 3, Survival 3 Traits: Flight (Major Good Creature Trait) Giant vampire bats are expert fliers. Natural Weapons (Minor Good Creature Trait) Giant vampire bats have sharp fangs and claws. Nocturnal (Minor Bad Creature Trait) Like its smaller cousins, the Giant Vampire Bat prefers to hunt at night. Tough (Minor Good Trait) Giant vampire bats are highly resilient. Character Points: 38

13

Poison 3 (Special Good Creature Trait) Monstrous Spider bites are poisonous, doing 4 / 8 /12 damage. Tough (Minor Good Trait) Monstrous Spiders reduce all damage taken by 2. Character Points: 38

213

Pulp Fantastic

White Ape

Yeti

The highly territorial and savage creatures referred to as White Apes are darkly rumored to be a horrible hybrid of man and ape, not so much a missing link but a blasphemous merging of two evolutionary lines that should have remained separate. Unlike normal gorillas, White Apes are highly aggressive and carnivorous, with a taste for human flesh. Physically, White Apes resemble albino gorillas, with pale gray fur and yellow eyes, though they have greatly deformed skulls and a mass and height more closely resembling humans. White Apes are naturally cunning and intelligent, and some evidence exists to suggest that they’re capable of strategic planning and tactical coordination. They communicate with a primitive language of grunts and howls, and have been observed using tools such as clubs, spears and even simple armor. White Apes are found only in the most remote areas of the African continent, inhabiting the ruined cities of lost civilisations, violently guarding their territory against all intruders.

Sometimes referred to as the “Abominable Snowman”, the yeti is a mysterious hominid creature native to Tibet and the Himalyas, similar to the North American Bigfoot or Sasquatch. Regarded as a myth by the scientific community, the yeti is a considered by many occultists and cryptozoologists as a lost branch of humanity, the so-called “third root race” of mankind. Yeti can be encountered in two types; the civilized Meh-Teh or “High Yeti” and the savage Migoi or “Wild Men”.

Awareness:

3

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

3

Presence:

4

Resolve:

3

Strength:

8

Size: Big Speed: Average Skills: Athletics 3, Craft 1, Fighting 4, Subterfuge 1, Survival 3 Traits: Aggressive (Major Good Creature Trait) White Apes gain a +2 bonus to Coordination for the purposes of working out who moves first during the Fighting Phase. Climbing (Minor Good Creature Trait) White Apes receive a +4 bonus to Coordination and Athletics rolls when climbing.

GAMEMASTER

Frenzy (Minor Bad Creature Trait) White Apes often go berserk when injured.

214

Natural Weapons (Minor Good Creature Trait) White Apes have savage claws and fangs doing Strength +2 damage. Never Gives Up (Major Good Trait) White Apes are very robust and can rarely be knocked out or incapacitated. Tough (Minor Good Trait) White Apes are terrifyingly robust. Character Points: 43

Meh-Teh The Meh-Teh are tall, heavily built humanoids with short blue-tinted fur, powerful muscles, vaguely simian facial features, yellow eyes and short, protruding tusks on the lower jaw. Despite their fearsome appearance, the Meh-Teh are peaceful, intelligent creatures who dwell within the vast subterranean kingdom of Agartha beneath the mountains of Tibet. Though they are incapable of normal speech, they use a sophisticated form of sign language to communicate and trade knowledge and goods with the hidden monks of Shambhala. Awareness:

4

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

4

Presence:

3

Resolve:

5

Strength:

7

Size: Big Speed: Average Skills: Athletics 2, Craft 4, Fighting 3, Knowledge 3, Medicine 4, Survival 4, Technology 3 Traits: Cloud Men’s Minds (Major Good Psychic Trait) The Meh-Teh have the ability to pass unnoticed when they want. Empathic (Minor Good Trait) The Meh-Teh can read body language to determine emotional states. Environmental (Minor Good Creature Trait) The Meh-Teh suffer no ill-effects from the cold. Psychic (Special Good Trait) The Meh-Teh’s pursuit of enlightenment has granted them limited psychic abilities. Character Points: 56

Bestiary

Migoi The Migoi are a more primitive off-shoot of the yeti race, having degenerated back into bestial savagery. Distinguished from their civilized brethren by a shaggy coat of white fur, fangs and sharp talons on both hands and feet, the Migoi live in small family groups amidst the snowy, arid peaks of the Himalayas. They are carnivores, normally living off yaks, mountain goats and cattle, but occasionally wandering into the lowlands and extending their diet to human flesh in times of want. The Migoi are often tamed and used as assassins and temple guards by the Black Lamas of the Forbidden Monastery. Awareness:

4

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

2

Resolve:

3

Strength:

8

Size: Huge Speed: Average Skills: Athletics 4, Fighting 5, Subterfuge 3, Survival 4 Traits: Armor (Minor Good Creature Trait) The Migoi’s dense musculature and shaggy coat gives it 5 points of armor. Enhanced Senses (Minor Good Creature Trait) The Migoi can see in infra-red, allowing it to track its prey through the snow. Environmental (Minor Good Creature Trait) The Migoi suffer no ill-effects from the cold. Frenzy (Minor Bad Creature Trait) The Migoi will fly into a blood rage when it is injured. Natural Weapons (Minor Good Creature Trait) The Migoi has sharp claws and fangs giving it Strength +2 damage in hand-to-hand combat. Character Points: 41

Fantastic Creatures Eldritch Abomination As alien and incomprehensible as the weather, the Eldritch Abomination lies at the heart of the Cosmic Horror pulp story, a monstrous weird menace from the outer darkness, existing in opposition to the physical laws of the known universe. It distorts reality simply by existing, causing insanity, death and…worse. In ages past, it and it’s kind ruled the world – they may have even made the world and everything in it. Even us. Their minds are beyond human understanding, their motives utterly incomprehensible. Even their bodies cannot be seen without twisting the minds of the viewer, imparting horrific insights into the true nature of the universe and the place of mankind within it. Eldritch Abominations often don’t even show up in the stories that mention them, but their shadow touches everything. Often worshipped as gods

by primitive cultures and seekers of wisdom driven insane by their delvings into the forbidden, they sometimes gift their supplicants with knowledge of an alien science so bizarre and arcane that it may have formed the mythological basis for what we today call magic. Obscure legends from before the age when man walked upright hint that these elder horrors slithered down from the stars before the dinosaurs arose. They built mighty cities so alien that they warped space and time around them, fought terrible wars and made unholy alliances. How they lost their grip on the world is unknown. Some legends hint that God and His angels cast them out, while others claim that there is no God and that they were banished by things kinder but no less alien. Others yet claim that they were overcome by the powers of proto-human magician priests, or that they were the victims of a cosmological shift – an event soon to reverse itself and allow them purchase in the world of man once more. Many greater abominations lie trapped outside normal space, hungering in the awful outer darkness between universes, while other lesser creatures slumber in alien tombs and monstrous cities lost beneath the earth or at the bottom of the sea. Others still lurk beyond gateways to distant worlds or hibernate in the depths of deep space, waiting for the call to awaken and feed on minds and souls once more. Physically, Eldritch Abominations come in a variety of forms, from almost human to physically impossible, from living gases and spatial distortions to writhing masses of tentacles, eyes, tooth-filled maws and wings. Many simply cannot be seen at all, while others are so utterly alien that simply to see and comprehend them means madness or death for the viewer. As terrible and horrific as these beings are, the greatest threat comes not from them, but from the madmen and fanatics that worship them as gods. There is little evidence to suggest these monstrosities even notice their supplicants, but this does not stop demented cults and sects forming around their legend and working towards hastening the moment of their release into a shocked and screaming world. Such cults are usually debased and utterly beyond reason, practising perverted and depraved rites and ceremonies, stopping at nothing to secure the freedom of their terrible gods. These cults are often gifted with arcane powers and vile mutations, gifted either deliberately by the Eldritch Abominations or merely as a side-effect of getting too close to something so unfathomably alien that the universe itself protests at their presence.

13

Note: For the best examples of Eldritch Abominations from the Pulps, we recommend reading the works of H.P. Lovecraft and his associates, which provided much of the inspiration for this section. We recommend that they not form the basis of the campaign though - if you want to do that there are other games far better suited and with a wealth of published supporting material. Instead they should be used sparingly, as ultimate threats, lurking in the thoughts of your players as their characters explore subterranean temples or investigate dark cults, limited to casting twisted shadows on the walls of reality lest they overwhelm your campaign. 215

Pulp Fantastic We present no stats for the greater Eldritch Abominations. They are creatures from the outer darkness, defined by their disdain for the rules of our reality. Put simply, they are gods – living plot devices - and they ignore the rules that affect lesser creatures. Meeting one face to gibbering maw is something no sane character should ever want to happen. The stats below can be applied to the lesser Abominations; the creatures that slumber beneath the earth and sea, occasionally roused by intrusion into their forbidden temples and lost cities.

Minor Eldritch Abomination Awareness:

4

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

5

Resolve:

3

Strength:

18

Size: Colossal Speed: Average Skills: Athletics 2, Fighting 5 Traits: Additional Limbs 4 (Major Good Creature Trait) A writing mass of tentacles allows the horror 2 additional actions per round. Armor (Minor Good Creature Trait) Slimy, rubbery flesh reduces damage taken by 5 levels. Constrict (Minor Good Creature Trait) The awful thing can crush its prey. Empathic Aura: Terror (Minor Good Psychic Trait) Being the focus of the creature’s attention fills the victim with existential dread. Environmental (Major Good Creature Trait) A dweller in the dark between the stars, the thing takes no environmental damage. Fear Factor 5 (Special Good Creature Trait) It is madness made flesh. Frenzy (Minor Bad Creature Trait) If wounded the creature goes berserk. Grab (Minor Good Creature Trait) Grasping tentacles lash out for victims. Immortal (Special Good Creature Trait) It cannot be killed, only banished or imprisoned. Natural Weapons (Minor Good Creature Trait) The vile monstrosity does Strength +2 damage with its toothed suckers.

GAMEMASTER

Psychic (Special Good Trait) It can see your puny thoughts. Savage Roar (Major Good Creature Trait) It squeals and trumpets like a dozen elephants. Telekinesis (Special Good Psychic Trait) It can bend the world to its will. Telepathy (Special Good Psychic Trait) It can pour its filthy thoughts into your skull. Trample (Major Good Creature Trait) Those it simply crushes to death are the most fortunate. Character Points: 71

216

Bestiary

Martian The minds behind the 1901 invasion of Great Britain, the creatures popularly known as Martians are an intelligent, technologically advanced and hostile alien species. Essentially octopoid in structure, an adult Martian is roughly the size of a bear, with sixteen tentacles arranged in two bunches of eight radiating from the underside of the body. Martians have large dark eyes and a slavering, V-shaped mouth. Apparently lacking vocal cords and any form of normal speech, Martians communicate solely through telepathy. They move sluggishly, with labored breathing, due to the relatively high gravity and atmospheric humidity of Earth.

Awareness:

3

Coordination:

2

Ingenuity:

7

Presence:

2

Resolve:

4

Strength:

5

Size: Big Speed: Slow Skills: Craft 3, Fighting 3, Marksman 3, Science 7, Technology 3, Transport 3 Traits: Additional Limbs 4 (Minor Good Creature Trait) Martians have numerous tentacles, allowing them to take two additional actions per Round at no penalty.

The Martians appear to be an engineered species, with an extremely simple and stripped down physiology supporting a vast brain. They lack a conventional digestive system and feed on the blood of living creatures, absorbing it directly into their circulatory system through a hollow bone tube – similar to the horn of a narwhal – which they can extend from the mouth with enough force to pierce steel plate. It has been theorised that the invasion of 1901 was motivated not by a desire for territory, but to capture and cultivate mankind as a food supply.

Fear Factor 2 (Special Good Creature Trait) Their alien appearance gives the Martians a +4 bonus to scare or intimidate.

As they are effectively giant brains, the Martians have become adept at creating armored vehicles that act as prosthetic bodies, such as their tripod fighting machines or the smaller handling machines seen in their landing sites and fortified areas.

Psychic (Special Good Trait) Martians can scan the minds of humans.

While it is popularly known that the Martians are fatally affected by Earthly germs and bacteria, this is not strictly true. While their lungs are somewhat vulnerable to respiratory fungal infections and diseases such as the form of weaponised flu virus that was used to eliminate the 1901 expeditionary force (a biological weapon that is suspected of having later mutated into the deadly Spanish Flu that killed nearly 5% of the world’s population between 1918 and 1920), they are in fact so alien that very few terrestrial viruses or bacteria can affect them. Those that do, however, are invariably lethal to them. Little is known of Martian culture, due mainly to their unrelenting hostility and the difficulty inherent in taking them alive. However, analysis of their cadavers and the remains of their technology has led to many scientists theorising that they are not in fact native to Mars, but may have been using that planet as a staging post for their invasion attempt. Further, it is now thought that once they lost contact with the Earth expeditionary force they turned their gaze to Venus, which many suspect they have successfully conquered.

Hypnosis (Major Good Trait) Martians can dominate the minds of lesser beings. Natural Weapons (Minor Good Creature Trait) The Martian can extend a hollow bone tube from its mouth for combat and feeding, doing Strength +2 damage.

Slow-Moving (Minor Bad Creature Trait) Martians struggle to move quickly in Earth’s gravity. Strange Appearance (Major Bad Creature Trait) Martians are hideous octopus-like creatures with huge black eyes and numerous tentacles. Strange Visitor (Major Bad Trait) Martians are utterly alien and have no regard for human technology or culture. Telepathy (Special Good Psychic Trait) Martians have no vocal cords and communicate telepathically.

13

Weakness (Major Bad Trait) Martians have limited defenses against terrestrial bacteria and disease pathogens, and must take technological steps to protect themselves. Character Points: 48

217

Pulp Fantastic

Undead

Martian War Machine The Martians’ distinctive tripod war machines are their signature weapon. Though they are vehicles, Martians use them as prosthetic bodies, so they are presented here as if they are independent creatures. Awareness:

2

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

−*

Presence:

2

Resolve:

−*

Strength:

16

* Pilot Size: Huge Speed: Slow Skills: Fighting 3, Marksman 3 Traits: Armor (Special Good Creature Trait) Martian alloys reduce damage taken by 15. Fast-Moving (Major Good Creature Trait) Tripods can stride with a Speed of 8 (including the bonus from its Size trait). Fear Factor 2 (Special Good Creature Trait) Tripods get a +4 bonus to scare or intimidate. Natural Weapons (Minor Good Creature Traits) The tripods metallic tentacles deliver Strength +2 damage. Natural Weapons 4 (Major Good Creature Trait) The Martian Heat Ray incinerates everything in its path, inflicting 20 (10/20/30) damage in a 10° arc. Robot (Special Good Trait) The tripod is a mechanical body. Stomp (Major Good Creature Trait) Tripods often crush victims beneath their giant feet. Weakness (Minor Bad Trait) The tripod cannot function without a pilot.

GAMEMASTER

Character Points: 48

Mummy Mummies are a form of intelligent undead, deliberately created through the use of mystical funeral rites and careful preparation. These rites were often used by ancient civilizations to punish those who trespassed against the gods, by ensuring that their torment would not end when death claimed them, but instead would extend beyond the grave and into eternity. As a result, such undead creatures are extremely dangerous, driven by an overwhelming need for vengeance against the living. Mummies are often thought of as being of exclusively Egyptian origin, but this is not correct. Virtually every civilization has practiced some form of mummification at some point in the past. Western examples include popes, saints and even national leaders. Resurrected mummies often display a wide range of apparently supernatural abilities which vary greatly from culture to culture, and so are not listed below. Most possess the ability to create the illusion of being a living creature. Note: These stats can be used to represent anyone who has successfully extended their own existence beyond death, either by supernatural or super-scientific means. Awareness:

5

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

7

Presence:

3

Resolve:

6

Strength:

5

Size: Average Speed: Average Skills: Athletics 1, Fighting 3, Survival 3 Traits: Dark Secret (Major Bad Trait) The mummy is an undead monster. Environmental (Major Good Creature Trait) As undead beings, mummies suffer no environmental effects. Fear Factor (Special Good Creature Trait) Mummies gain +2 when actively trying to strike fear into others. Immortal (Special Good Creature Trait) As undead beings, mummies are functionally immortal. Never Gives Up (Major Good Trait) Mummies cannot be incapacitated. Obsession (Major Bad Trait) Mummies are always driven by some need; perhaps vengeance upon the living or the resurrection of a lost love. Shapeshift (Major Good Creature Trait) Mummies may create the illusion of being a living person.

218

Bestiary Tough (Minor Good Trait) The undead body of a mummy reduces all damage taken by 2.

durability, that avoid sunlight but are not harmed by it, can be destroyed by stakes, fire or beheading, and need fresh human blood to survive. They could be the victims of a mysterious disease, engineered beings or perhaps an alternate branch of humanity. Undead supernatural creatures could look quite different.

Unattractive (Minor Bad Trait) Even when appearing normal, most people find mummies instinctively unappealing. Weakness (Major Bad Trait) Mummies can be destroyed by the magics that created and sustain them; for instance, by burning the sacred scroll that records their curse, or by reading a ritual of unbinding.

New Vampire Awareness:

3

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

3

Presence:

4

Resolve:

3

Strength:

5

Character Points: 42

Size: Average

Skeleton

Speed: Fast

Skeletons are the bones of the long dead, animated in a parody of life by dark powers. Skeletons are effectively simple supernatural automatons, able to use tools and carry out simple tasks and instructions, but incapable of independent thought or reasoning. Awareness:

2

Coordination:

2

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

1

Resolve:

1

Strength:

4

Size: Average Speed: Average Skills: Athletics 1, Fighting 3 Traits: Environmental (Major Good Creature Trait) Skeletons suffer no environmental effects. Natural Weapons (Minor Good Creature Trait) Bony, claw-like fingers do Strength +2 damage. Never Gives Up (Major Good Trait) Skeletons cannot be incapacitated, only destroyed. Obsession (Major Bad Trait) Skeletons have no free will and must follow their instructions no matter what. Tough (Minor Good Trait) Skeletons are fleshless and do not easily take wound damage. All damage taken is reduced by 2. Weakness (Major Bad Trait) Destroying the skull of a skeleton will deactivate it permanently. Character Points: 17

Vampire Vampires exists in the folklore and mythology of every nation on earth. The apex predator of humankind, vampires exist wherever their food source exists, stalking the shadows and picking off the weak and the isolated. Vampires tend to differ from culture to culture, with different forms, abilities and vulnerabilities, but they all have one thing in common - the need to feed on human blood.

Skills: Athletics 3, Convince 3, Fighting 3, Subterfuge 2 Traits: Climbing (Major Good Creature Trait) Vampires can move at their full speed on any surface. Dependency (Major Bad Trait) Vampires need to feed on fresh human blood nightly. Fast-Moving (Major Good Creature Trait) The vampires Speed is doubled. Fast Healer (Special Good Creature Trait) Vampires recover 1 Attribute point per minute. Fear Factor 2 (Special Good Creature Trait) The vampire gets +4 to any roll when actively attempting to frighten a victim. Hypnosis (Major Good Trait) Vampires can hypnotize their prey. Immortal (Special Good Creature Trait) Vampires cannot die through age, violence or disease (see Weakness, below). Keen Senses (Major Good Trait) The vampire has +2 to all Awareness rolls. Natural Weapons (Minor Good Creature Trait) Claws and fangs give the vampire Strength +2 damage.

13

Phobia (Minor Bad Trait) The vampire is repelled by sunlight. Tough (Major Good Trait) Vampires reduce all damage taken by 3. Weakness (Major Bad Trait) Beheading or burning will destroy the vampire, while staking it will immobilize the creature. Character Points: 49

Note: The stats below represent fairly “realistic” vampires; humanoid creatures with enhanced strength, speed and 219

Pulp Fantastic

Werewolf

Master Vampire Awareness:

5

Coordination:

6

Ingenuity:

5

Presence:

5

Resolve:

4

Strength:

7

Size: Average Speed: Fast Skills: Athletics 3, Convince 3, Fighting 3, Subterfuge 2 Traits: Climbing (Major Good Creature Trait) Vampires can move at their full speed on any surface. Cloud Men’s Minds (Major Good Psychic Trait) Vampires can pass unseen. Dependency (Minor Bad Trait) Older vampires do not need to feed on fresh human blood as often. Fast-Moving (Major Good Creature Trait) The vampire’s Speed is doubled. Fast Healer (Special Good Creature Trait) Vampires recover 1 Attribute point per minute.

Awareness:

5

Coordination:

5

Ingenuity:

3

Presence:

4

Resolve:

3

Strength:

7

Size: Big Speed: Fast

Flight (Minor Good Creature Trait) The master vampire can take wing.

Traits:

Immortal (Special Good Creature Trait) Vampires cannot die through age, violence or disease (see Weakness, below) Infection (Major Good Creature Trait) The vampire can create other vampires. Keen Senses (Major Good Trait) The vampire has +2 to all Awareness rolls.

GAMEMASTER

Though the details of the curse change from culture to culture, the essentials remain the same. The werewolf is a man or woman who – sometimes willingly, often unwillingly – physically transforms into a monstrous, flesh-eating beast. In most versions of the legend, the transformation is triggered by the light of the full moon, though in some stories it is activated deliberately by the donning of an animal pelt. In the most well-known legends, the transformation is a curse, the victim tormented by vague memories of the horrible crimes his bestial persona may have committed during the night.

Fear Factor 3 (Special Good Creature Trait) The vampire gets +6 to any roll when actively attempting to frighten a victim.

Hypnosis (Major Good Trait) Vampires can hypnotize their prey.

Natural Weapons (Minor Good Creature Trait) Claws and fangs give the vampire +2 damage. Psychic (Special Good Trait) Master vampires can read minds. Telekinesis (Special Good Psychic Trait) Master vampires can move objects by the power of their minds. Tough (Major Good Trait) Vampires reduce all damage taken by 3. Weakness (Major Bad Trait) Beheading or burning will destroy the vampire, while staking it will immobilize the creature. Character Points: 71

220

Descriptions of men who transform into savage beasts by the light of the full moon are recorded in the literature of the ancient Greeks, and before that in the cave paintings of neolithic man. The werewolf has always been with mankind, stalking us through the shadows during the nights of the full moon and living among us by the light of day.

Skills: Athletics 3, Fighting 4, Survival 5 Aggressive (Major Good Creature Trait) Werewolves are savage, blood-thirsty monsters. Amnesia (Minor Bad Trait) Werewolves have little or no memory of what they do while transformed. Climbing (Minor Good Creature Trait) Using their claws and immense strength, werewolves can climb almost anything. Enhanced Senses 3 (Minor Good Creature Trait) The werewolf possesses acute hearing, scent and sight. Fast-Moving (Major Good Creature Trait) Werewolves move at with a Speed of 10. Fast Healer (Special Good Trait) Werewolves heal normal wounds at 1 point of damage per minute. Fear Factor 3 (Special Good Creature Trait) Werewolves are slavering, terrifying beasts. Immortal (Special Good Trait) The werewolf is ageless and undying, except through wounds inflicted by a silver weapon. Even if the werewolf is killed in human form, he will revive during the next full moon. Infection (Major Good Creature Trait) Any bite or scratch from a werewolf that pierces armor and draws blood is enough to transmit the curse.

Bestiary Leap 2 (Special Good Creature Trait) Werewolves are capable of leaping four times their body length.

Zombie

Natural Weapons (Minor Good Creature Trait) Razor-sharp claws and fangs deliver Strength +2 damage.

I will smash the door posts,

Nocturnal (Minor Bad Creature Trait) Werewolves normally only hunt at night. Never Gives Up (Major Good Trait) Werewolves can rarely be incapacitated. Obsession (Major Bad Trait) While transformed, werewolves are bestial, blood-crazed monsters and think only of slaughter. Tough (Major Good Trait) Werewolves are unnaturally resilient, reducing all damage taken by 3. Savage Roar (Major Good Creature Trait) The howl of the werewolf strikes terror into all who hear it. Shapeshift (Minor Good Creature Trait) From man to wolf-man and back, normally only during a full moon. Stalker (Major Good Creature Trait) Werewolves are expert hunters. On a successful opposed Coordination+Subterfuge roll, Werewolves gain +4 to sneak attacks. Weakness (Major Bad Trait) Werewolves are fatally allergic to silver and will not revive if killed with a silver weapon. Character Points: 70

I will knock down the Gates of the Netherworld, and leave the doors flat down, and will let the dead go up to eat the living! And the dead will outnumber the living the epic of gilgamesh Zombies are the walking dead, either flesh hungry creatures intent on devouring the living and spreading their unnatural affliction or corpses animated by apparently magical or super-scientific means to serve the will of a sorcerer or mastermind.

The Enslaved Dead The Enslaved Dead are corpses reanimated as servants by a controlling intelligence. This intelligence could be supernatural in origin, such as the power of a voodoo sorcerer or Eldritch Abomination, or the power of perverted science. Unlike the Shambling Dead, these creatures are driven by the commands of their master, do not feed on living flesh or transmit their condition by bites. Awareness:

3

Coordination:

2

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

2

Resolve:

3

Strength:

4

Size: Average Speed: Slow Skills: Fighting 1 Traits: Environmental (Major Good Creature Trait) Zombies suffer no ill-effects in any environment. Fear Factor 2 (Special Good Creature Trait) Zombies are innately frightening.

13

Networked (Major Good Creature Trait) The enslaved dead are controlled by a central animating intelligence, such as a voodoo sorcerer or an evil mastermind. Never Gives Up (Major Good Trait) Zombies cannot be knocked out or incapacitated. Slow-Moving (Minor Bad Creature Trait) Very few zombies are capable of moving quickly. Slow Reflexes (Major Bad Trait) Dead nervous systems do not respond quickly. Weakness (Major Bad Trait) Destroying the animating intelligence will destroy the Enslaved Dead. Character Points: 19

221

Pulp Fantastic

Dinosaurs

The Hungry Dead The zombie sub-type referred to as the Hungry Dead are mindless undead creatures driven by an all-consuming hunger for human flesh. The hungry dead may be created in a number of ways including supernatural forces, viral infection, electro-chemical stimulation or exposure to exotic radiations. They are slow creatures that become terrifying in large numbers. Rumors persist of encounters with so-called “fast” zombies, but these are clearly the fabrications of delusional minds. Awareness:

2

Coordination:

2

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

2

Resolve:

3

Strength:

4

Size: Average Speed: Slow Skills: Fighting 1 Traits: Bite (Special Good Creature Trait) The primary weapon of the hungry dead is their bite. Environmental (Major Good Creature Trait) The hungry dead suffer no ill-effects in any environment. Fear Factor 2 (Special Good Creature Trait) Zombies are innately frightening. Infection (Major Good Creature Trait) Any bite that pierces armor and draws blood will cause the victim to sicken, die and rise as the hungry dead. Never Gives Up (Major Good Trait) Zombies cannot be knocked out or incapacitated. Slow-Moving (Minor Bad Creature Trait) Dead things cannot move quickly.

GAMEMASTER

Slow Reflexes (Major Bad Trait) Dead nervous systems do not respond quickly. Strange Appearance (Special Bad Creature Trait) The hungry dead are very clearly walking corpses in various states of disrepair. Weakness (Special Good Creature Trait) Destroying the brain or a significant proportion of the upper spinal cord will permanently deactivate the hungry dead. Character Points: 17

Dinosaurs first appeared during the Triassic period, over 230 million years ago. They were the most diverse and successful form of animal life the world has ever seen, and dominated the planet for 135 million years. They were so wide-spread, diverse and numerous that their dominance of earth was only broken by an extinction event so massive that it eradicated 75% of all plant and animal life. Their descendants, in the form of birds, are all around us. Is it any wonder then that, in the dark, isolated, strange places of the globe, small populations of dinosaurs may still remain? Today, dinosaurs are considered by all serious scientists to be utterly extinct, existing only as fossil remains. However, certain brave explorers and visionary scientists know the truth; that dinosaurs continue to live into the modern era, inhabiting subterranean worlds, isolated plateaus, hidden valleys and distant fog-shrouded pacific islands. Even in these remote locales though, the forces of evolution have not stood still, and the dinosaur-like creatures that may be encountered today are not exactly like their distant ancestors. Note: As there are far too many dinosaurs to present a full catalogue of species in this book, the stats below can be used to represent broad families of animals that may be encountered.

Pterosaur Pterosaurs are considered by the popular imagination to be flying dinosaurs, though this is not actually true (dinosaurs are a different clade). The most notable members of the pterosaur family are Pteranodon and Pterodactyl. Pterosaurs, like the birds that came after them, come in a wide variety of sizes and forms, with wingspans ranging from 50cm to 11 metres. Most pterosaurs have long, aerodynamic heads with sharp beaks used to spear prey such as fish, insects and other small animals. Awareness:

3

Coordination:

2

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

4

Resolve:

3

Strength:

8

Speed: Average Size: Big Skills: Athletics 4, Fighting 2, Survival 3 Traits: Flight (Minor Good Creature Trait) Pterosaurs can fly; they are not very agile flyers, but are capable of gliding immense distances. Natural Weapons (Minor Good Creature Trait) Pterosaurs have sharp fangs and talons, doing Strength +2 damage. Special: Swoop Attack (Special Good Creature Trait) The Pterosaurs swoops down on its prey. This attack has a +4 bonus to hit and does Strength +2 damage. Character Points: 35

222

Bestiary

Raptor These relatively small dinosaurs are clever, fast-moving pack predators, descended from dinosaurs such as the smaller Velociraptor (“Swift Seizer”), the Achillobator (“Achilles Hero”) and other Dromaeosaurid Therapods. Perhaps the best known raptor is the Deinonychus (“Terrible Claw”), named for the over-sized sickle-shaped claw on each foot, which it uses to horrific effect for disembowelling and clinging on to prey. Intelligent, aggressive and virtually fearless, raptors prey on large herbivores, leaping onto their prey and latching on with their claws while delivering powerful, tearing bites. All raptors use their long tails for balance while running and leaping, and can use their claws to help them climb trees or other obstacles. Their eyesight is keen and highly sensitive to moving objects, and their eyes are located high on their heads, enabling them to spy on prey from cover without exposing themselves. Raptors have an exceptional sense of smell, allowing them to track prey even when it isn’t visible. Like wolves, these dinosaurs hunt in packs, but are adaptable enough to feed on carrion if live prey is not available. Like most pack predators, they prefer to pick off lone or otherwise vulnerable targets, but are intelligent enough to use ambushes and herding tactics when required. They can communicate in a rudimentary fashion with each other through clicks and hisses, and possess fore-claws dexterous enough to hold and examine objects, and even operate doorhandles. Raptors usually exhibit intelligence and curiosity, and learn quickly, something which has led to an unpleasant end to any foolish enough to underestimate them. Some may even be on the verge of using tools and developing true intelligence...

Enhanced Senses (Minor Good Creature Trait) Raptors have a keen sense of smell and gain +4 Awareness when using it. Fear Factor (Special Good Creature Trait) Raptors gain +2 to rolls when trying to intimidate prey, and humans need to make a Fear test when first meeting a raptor. Snap (Major Good Creature Trait) The raptor makes an extra Bite attack this round. This can be used in addition to its normal action. Special: Leaping Attack (Special Good Creature Trait) Raptors can jump onto an enemy and cling on with its claws. A raptor must make a successful Fighting attack to grab on, and inflicts claw damage in the first round it hits. In every subsequent round, it automatically inflicts the lower end of its claw damage on the victim, and gets to make a bite attack too. The raptor’s victim suffers a -4 penalty to all actions while it is clinging to him. Knocking the raptor off requires a successful Fighting or Athletics contest. Stalker (Major Good Creature Trait) Raptors are effective hunters. On a successful opposed Coordination+Subterfuge roll, Raptors gain +4 to sneak attacks. Character Points: 50

Note: Raptors are actually closely related to birds, and may subspecies were either partially or completely feathered. Awareness:

4

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

2

Presence:

3

Resolve:

4

Strength:

7

13

Speed: Fast Size: Average Skills: Athletics 3, Fighting 4, Survival 3 Traits: Aggressive (Major Good Creature Trait) Raptors gain a +2 bonus to its Coordination for the purposes of working out who moves first during the Fighting Phase. Bite (Special Good Creature Trait) The terrible bite of a raptor does Strength +2 damage (5/9/13). Claw (Special Good Creature Trait) Raptor claws are usually used only for climbing and holding prey, but they can disembowel a human and cause horrible injuries. The claws inflict Strength +3 damage. 223

Pulp Fantastic

Tyrannosaur The best known and most feared of all dinosaurs - the Tyrannosaurus Rex (“Tyrant Lizard King”) - was a therapod carnivore; a bipedal apex predator up to 13 metres in length with teeth like daggers. Other similar dinosaurs include Gorgosaurus, Tarbosaurus and Albertosaurus. Tyrannosaurs are hunters, opportunistic carnivores that run down and kill their prey, then gorge on the flesh, often returning to the kill for days at a time. Prey animals include everything from smaller herbivores to big sauropods. Note: These stats can be used for the descendants of any number of large carnivorous therapods, such as Afrovenatus and Allosaurus. Awareness:

3

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

4

Resolve:

3

Strength:

14

Speed: Average Size: Huge Skills: Athletics 3, Fighting 3, Survival 4 Traits: Aggressive (Major Good Creature Trait) Tyrannosaurs gain +2 to Coordination for the purposes of working out who moves first during the Fighting Phase. Bite (Special Good Creature Trait) A Tyrannosaurs Bite attack does Strength +2 damage. Fear Factor 2 (Special Good Creature Trait) Tyrannosaurs gain +4 to rolls when trying to intimidate prey, and humans need to make a Fear test when first meeting a raptor.

GAMEMASTER

Savage Roar (Major Good Creature Trait) The roar of a Tyrannosaur causes those who hear it to make a Fear check or lose an Action when they encounter it. Snap (Major Good Creature Trait) The Tyrannosaur makes an extra Bite attack this round. This can be used in addition to its normal action. Special: Tail Sweep (Special Good Creature Trait) The Tyrannosaur makes an attack that inflicts ½ Strength damage, but can attack any number of targets as long as they’re all within a few metres of each other. Anyone hit by the tail swipe is knocked down. Tough (Major Good Trait) Tyrannosaurs have tough skin and dense muscles, reducing all damage taken by 3. Character Points: 53

224

Chapter 14 The Nemo Diary The Black Tie Affair The characters are attending the London Literary Library Association’s premier charity event, a black tie affair being attended by the social elite, high ranking government officials, a bevy of press associates, and a few lucky attendees that were the “and guest” part of an invite. The LLLA is an organization that provides library services to the underprivileged. To help offset the costs of their current project, building five new libraries across London, Geoffrey George Lilliamont has opened his private collection of valuable literary pieces for the evening and put them on display for London’s elite to view. The most hotly discussed items from the Liiliamont collection are two pages from the Nemo Diaries. There are a few ardent fans of Jules Verne that believe that Nemo was not a purely fictional figment of the master story-teller’s imagination, but instead a real person whose genius allowed him to create the Nautilus and escape from the surface world and live under the oceans in a world where he found and knew peace. These few believers have hypothesized that Nemo, in constructing the Nautilus, had collected an exorbitant amount of hard currency, and that these funds came from the sale of numerous inventions that the notorious Nemo had created in his mind, and later put on paper. Of the handful of experts that have studied the supposed Nemo schematics, to a man they have stated that his genius either rivaled that of Leonardo or his madness that of Hyde.

THE NEMO PAGES Powerful, connected, monied people want these pages. They’ll lie, cheat, steal, and murder to get their hands on them. Some want them purely for their monetary value, others desire to see the machinery of Nemo put to use, and the Invisible College may want to keep the world from seeing the pages. This scenario allows the GM to choose which antagonist they wish to use in their game: crime bosses, mad scientists, book collectors, or even the Invisible College itself may act as the antagonists of this scenario. The story is designed in a manner that no matter which the GM chooses the action and plot will run smoothly. The characters are met at the door by a gracious butler, Harry Perkins, who takes hats, coats, canes and announc-

es the characters. Characters of some renown will be greeted with cheers and claps, and other less known characters will be politely ignored. All of the servants are dressed as literary characters (Robin Hood and his men, Don Quixote, the Three Musketeers, and any other characters that the gm may wish to use). The party will quickly become crowded as more and more guests are announced, characters can meet, mingle, and make new acquaintances (a gm may use this scene to introduce background characters that may be of use in future adventures if they are planning a campaign). Everyone seems quite pleasant, the party is going well, many cheques are being written and stuffed into a large box near the glass enclosed case showcasing the Nemo Pages.

Robin and His Unmerry Men Eventually Geoffrey George Lilliamont will tap his glass repeatedly until the crowd quiets down, and begin to give a speech. His wife, Lady Lillian Lilliamont, has been mingling with the guests engaging in small talk. This stunning woman of rare beauty should stop to speak with a character or group of characters just before the speech begins. “I would very much like to take this opportunity to…” His words are cut off as an arrow pierces his side; blood begins to pour forth through the white tux as he crumples to the floor. Several women in the crowd scream and faint. Others begin to panic and push towards the exits as a booming voice from the wide staircase leading up to the second store interrupts the chaos.

LAYOUT OF THE HALL The hall is two-tiered, with an upper balcony, where the guests are introduced, and a double staircase, leading down to a checkerboard-floored ballroom, 100 x 50 feet, with dazzling chandeliers and mirrors that make the ballroom look as if it stretches off into infinity. Immediately opposite the balcony are a set of long windows, with two pairs of French doors leading out to the grounds. Underneath the balcony is the entrance to the kitchen and servants’ rooms. “good day ladies and cads, i, robin of london, with my Merry Men...” he makes a flourish that quickly shows that there are several associates in the audience “are in attendance to lighten not your wallets, but instead your

Pulp Fantastic host’s collection of stolen works of the master Nemo.” The henchmen quickly backhand, kick, or punch a few party-goers as they attempt to block the exits. The exact number of henchmen is left up to the gm, but at least one henchman for each character is advised. There may be even more if a more challenging opening is desired. The extra henchmen, if the fight gets to be too much for the characters, can eventually be pummeled by party-goers, whose courage returns as they see the characters battling the party crashers or attempt to trample the henchmen in a panic for the exits.

mont is one of the foci of the attacks as three henchmen descend on her, and attempt to murder her.

Merry Men

A Tricky (15) Awareness + Ingenuity check allows the player to notice a strange zeppelin large enough for only one person. This mini zeppelin has been camouflaged so that it is quite hard to see in the foggy London night.

Quote: “Give us yer money!” Awareness:

3

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

2

Presence:

3

Resolve:

3

Strength:

3

Skills: Athletics 3, Fighting 4, Marksman 3, Subterfuge 2 Traits:

The constabulary arrive a few minutes later, but in that time the majority of the henchmen are captured by either the characters or the other party goers. The police will expect the characters to submit to all of their questions, and anyone that is not forthcoming or is uncooperative will be dressed down and possibly arrested on the spot. Cooperative characters, after an hour or so, will be allowed to leave the premises. The police will not be far along into their investigation when a doctor arrives to check on Mister Lilliamont. After a few seconds the doctor will motion for the senior Bobby, and will quickly explain that Lilliamont must be removed to a hospital at once if he has any chance of survival.

Outcast (Minor Bad Trait) Low-level career criminals aren’t well regarded. Unattractive (Minor Bad Trait) None of these mooks is going to win a beauty contest. Total Character Points: 25 Trappings: Rapier Story Points: 5

Robin Hood Quote: “Your money...or your life!” Awareness:

3

Coordination:

5

Ingenuity:

2

Presence:

4

Resolve:

3

Strength:

3

Skills: Athletics 4, Craft 4 (Performance), Fighting 5, Marksman 5 (Bow), Subterfuge 4

GAMEMASTER

If characters wish to attempt to shoot the cables, hitting them is a Difficult (21) shot (being quite thin), and they take 8 points of damage to snap (they are steel, after all).

Aftermath

Obligation (Major Bad Trait) A henchman’s lot is not a happy one.

Traits: Crack Shot (Minor Good Trait) Minions (Major Good Trait) Sharpshooter (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 48 Trappings: Bow, Rapier Story Points: 12 During the opening of the fight (beginning of the second round), the skylight overhead shatters as two massive ropes with oversized suction cups attached to the ends come crashing through. Glass rains down on the party goers, and the crowd quickly becomes an uncontrolled herd trying to avoid the falling glass that continues to sprinkle down from the ceiling. It also quickly becomes clear that Lady Lillia-

226

“Robin Hood” quickly dispatches any NPC that attempts to stop him as he connects the two massive suction cups to the glass case that the Nemo papers are displayed in. If unchecked, he will leap on top of the glass container, wrap one arm around the ropes, and give a deep bow with his sword in hand. “Please, continue your revelry in my absence.” As he finishes his bow, the glass case begins to quickly rise into the air and out through the wreckage of the skylight.

A Tricky (15) Awareness + Ingenuity check allows the players to make out what the doctor is saying. Characters that are helping the doctor need not make the roll at all. Successful characters will hear the name of the hospital that Lilliamont is being taken to: Tandry Hospital. Questioning the henchmen will be of no help to the characters or the police. All of “Robin’s” henchmen are upstanding staff members of Lilliamonts’ or the library. As they are questioned they look blank-eyed and unresponsive. A Normal (12) Awareness + Medicine check will allow a player to notice that the staff appears to be mesmerized or possibly hypnotized. On a Good result the character can speed up the staff’s recovery, while a Fantastic success will allow the staff to remember that they heard a strange buzzing sound, and a voice coming from their outfits that made them believe they were Robin Hood’s men, and that the party goers were plotting against Mr. Lilliamont. To protect their master they needed to go along with the charade, and when it appeared that Mr. Lilliamont was injured the servants were to attack the conspirators. A successful Awareness + Subterfuge check will allow the characters to realize that each of the servants costumes has a cloisonné pin in the shape of an eye. Each pin appears to have a strange miniature speaker behind it. A Fantastic

The Nemo Diary success allows the character to discover a flaky substance adhering to the pin. gms may want to use this design later on to draw the characters into a greater conspiracy. As it stands now, they are merely to identify the “Merry Men.” Merely touching the powder with exposed flesh is enough to force a Tricky (15) Strength + Resolve roll, unsuccessful characters suffer a vivid hallucination of some horrible event in the characters life. This lasts for one minute for each point the character failed the roll by. Successful characters are unaffected. With an Ingenuity + Medicine or Ingenuity + Science check, the character is able to discern that the substance is a combination of morphine and opium in a powdered form. It is a powerful hallucinogen, which would explain why the servants were overcome by the suggestion to attack the party goers. If the characters are unable to awaken the staff, they will eventually snap out of their apparent daze, but no one remembers anything after they arrived at work and were handed their costumes for the evening. They have no recollection of the fight that just occurred, and those that are injured are even more confused as they demand to know what has happened.

Lady Lilliamont Quote: “Gentlemen, I thank you for your courage, but I have on more thing to ask of you.” Awareness:

3

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

4

Presence:

5

Resolve:

4

Strength:

3

Skills: Athletics 3, Convince 3, Craft 3, Knowledge 4, Marksman 2 Traits: Attractive (Minor Good Trait)

the police continued their investigation. Perkins explains that “My lady wishes your presence before you depart.” The study is a simple private reading room, and the Lady sits with a tray for tea set up nearby. She rises when the players enter and offers them tea, while apologizing profusely for the disturbance. It takes no Awareness roll to realize that the lady is irate over the attack on her husband, and she’s hiding her feelings as best she can. An Awareness + Convince check reveals that Lady Lilliamont is tired, scared, angry, and fearing for her husband’s life. For her to call this meeting instead of rushing to her husband’s hospital bedside clearly shows how important she feels this meeting is. She expresses her thanks for anyone that came to her aid, and will fuss over anyone that was injured while protecting her. After a few moments she explains that this affront upon her husband cannot go unanswered. The proper authorities will do what they must, but she is calling upon this group to do more. She will offer them money, access to her husband’s private library (an interest to members of the Invisible College who may be wishing to learn if Lilliamont has any other books or papers that they may need to research later), or the favor of her family’s name. Unfortunately she has no clues as to who may have perpetuated this atrocity. There were no threats, there were no strange occurrences, no strange people in their lives, and her husband’s behavior has not changed in recent history. Lady Lilliamont is not without any leads. She can give the players, under an oath of secrecy, the name of a gentleman her husband had done business with in the past: Mr. Haberdrant of 22 Arcadia Avenue, an unsavory fellow of low stock and questionable means. But his ability to track down hard to acquire antiquities was never questioned. It was this gentleman that helped Mr. Lilliamont acquire the two Nemo pages.

Mr Haberdrant of 22 Arcadia Avenue

Charming (Minor Good Trait) Empathic (Minor Good Trait) Voice of Authority (Minor Good Trait) Well Travelled (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 42 Trappings: Lady Lilliamont carries a small silver Derringer, a gift from an eccentric aunt. Weapon

Range

Ammunition

Damage

Recoil

Double Derringer

5/10/20

2

1/2/3

0

Story Points: 12 As the characters are finally excused and allowed to leave the party they will be met at the door by the Lilliamont’s butler, Harry Perkins. The characters will have noticed that Perkins has been helping the injured, answering police questions, and looking over Lady Lilliamont, who was allowed to retire to a private chamber of the library while

14

Day or night, the lowly-looking hovel in an unsavory part of London’s East End appears to be a hotbed of activity. Cutthroats, purse snatchers, beggars, and on occasion, the strange sight of a gentleman can be seen entering the doors and leaving a short time later hurrying away. If the characters simply try to enter the establishment the mammoth form of an obese, toad-like man standing nearly seven feet tall meets them as they enter, and he demands they leave unless they have an appointment. Mr. Haberdrant doesn’t bother with bodyguards or servants. His towering, blubbery form are intimidating enough to scare any of the local toughs away, and his reputation for violence keeps the better-trained bone breakers at bay. Nothing short of a Fantastic result on a Tricky (15) Presence + Convince check, will allow the characters to cow Mr. Haberdrant, who makes his living intimidating others. A simple bribe of a handful of pounds (three pounds per 227

Pulp Fantastic person who enters his establishment) will find the characters greeted with affection, offered a dirty, uncomfortable chair, tea from a chipped cup, and thrice-used tea leaves. Mr. Haberdrant is unfamiliar with the villains behind the attack on Mr. Lilliamont, who Mr. Haberdrant expresses his best wishes towards his recovery (he seems earnest in his sentiments), but he wishes that the thugs be apprehended and dealt with harshly. An Awareness + Convince check will reveal that Mr. Haberdrant seems more upset about the method that the robber used than in the robbery itself. If confronted on his demeanor, he will state simply that the flashy theatrics debase the fine art of robbery, and turn it into a circus act that brings about far too much attention. After just a few questions, intimidating tactics, acts of aggression, or attempts to reason with this criminal mastermind he’ll abruptly begin laughing loudly. “Enough, the address will cost you the same as it has cost everyone else this morning 25 pounds, hard money, no letters of credit please.” If the characters pay, he’ll hand them a large envelope which weighs about eight ounces, and feels as if it contains a hand mirror. “It’s a black tie affair. Tonight. 11PM sharp. The password is: HETZEL.

Mr. Haberdrant Quote: “Sit down, and let us do business like civilized people.” Awareness:

3

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

5

Presence:

4

Resolve:

4

Strength:

2

Skills: Convince 4, Fighting 4, Marksman 3, Subterfuge 3, Transport 2 Traits: Adversary (Major Bad Trait) Breaking & Entering (Major Good Trait) Distinctive (Minor Bad Trait)

GAMEMASTER

Empathic (Minor Good Trait) Owed Favor (Minor Good Trait) Rumor Mill (Minor Good Trait) Selfish (Minor Bad Trait) Tough (Minor Good Trait) Unattractive (Minor Bad Trait) Total Character Points: 65 Trappings: Mr. Haberdrant carries a large pistol. Weapon

Range

Ammunition

Damage

Recoil

Large Pistol

5/10/20

6-10

2/5/7

-3

Story Points: 5 228

Inside the envelope, the characters discover a slip of paper with an address: 1870 Nedland Way. Characters with a criminal or law-enforcement backgrounds will be familiar with this area of docks. It’s an area of illicit trade, black marketing, drug dens, and a hotbed of criminal activity. The object is an auction paddle with the number 20 on it. If the players should acquire further paddles from Haberdrant, the numbers will all be unique. The characters can spend the day preparing for that night’s auction, or they can attempt to learn further information from informants. With a successful Presence + Convince check, characters with the right contacts learn that the underworld community is very quiet, but excited about the upcoming auction. A Good result allows the character to learn that every power broker in the underworld has been sent a personal invitation to the underground auction. A Fantastic success allows the character to learn that an unknown gang is making a power play, and tonight will be the showdown between the established purveyors of crime in London and this new upstart group.

Underground Auction As the characters arrive near 1870 Nedland Way, they will view a lot of activity as horse and carriages are being maintained by well-dressed servants, the lowest street cretins obviously acting as lookouts (no roll necessary to notice), and a few hard-looking bully boys standing in front of the warehouse doors to the auction site. The characters will not be allowed into the warehouse until they have shown their paddle, in which case the biggest of the door thugs gives a crooked smile showing his many broken and blackened teeth. Characters who try to enter the ware-

The Nemo Diary house without a auction paddle will be stopped at the door and denied entrance with a promise of physical violence if they do not leave immediately. A successful Presence + Convince check will allow the character to browbeat the door thugs into allowing them entrance, or allow characters with criminal or law-enforcement backgrounds to use enough names associated with illicit activities to convince the thugs to allow them entrance. Ingenuity + Subterfuge will allow the character entrance as (s)he hoodwinks the doorman.

Thug Quote: “If yer name’s not on the list, yer not getting’ in.” Awareness:

3

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

1

Presence:

3

Resolve:

3

Strength:

5

Skills: Athletics 3, Convince 2, Fighting 4, Subterfuge 2 Traits: Breaking & Entering (Major Good Trait) Tough (Minor Good Trait) Unattractive (Minor Bad Trait) Total Character Points: 31 Trappings: Cosh (Strength +2 Damage) Story Points: 5 Once inside the warehouse, the characters will see a brightly lit, palatial interior. The finest rugs of the Orient cover the floors, each chair in the audience is a plush, low-backed affair of immense comfort, and high, glass chandeliers cover the entire room in an elegant glow that flutters as drafts from the door opening and closing caress the candles’ flames. A stage has been erected in front of the audiences’ chairs, and a podium and gavel stand empty upon it. There are several professional-looking thugs in attendance, dressed smartly in tuxes, and all carrying truncheons; a few near the stage have firearms in hand. Each of these men wears the same cloisonné pin in the shape of an eye that the servants at the library attack wore. There are no windows, the walls are all slightly rounded, and overall gives the impression of a ship’s interior. Awareness + Ingenuity will allow a successful character to realize that the interior of the warehouse has the look, feel, and dimensions of an immense room aboard a ship. The crowd is a melting pot of the criminal elements of London and much further afield. Sadistic-looking men whose preferred form of communication appears to be sneers and grunts drink wine alongside fine gentlemen of good breeding. Characters with a law-enforcement or criminal background can use Awareness + Knowledge to spot several key members of the underworld, while more refined

characters can use the same check to character to pick out several influential members of high society. A Tricky (15) Awareness + Subterfuge check will allow the characters to realize that a woman whose visage is completely covered by a veil is none other than Lady Lilliamont in disguise. A finely dressed man takes the podium, and blows shrilly into a Bosun’s whistle, calling the party-goers to order. “Good day…ahem…ladies and gentlemen…” he says, with a wink at several of the most uncouth-looking creatures. With an Awareness + Subterfuge roll, the characters realize that the voice of this gentleman is that of “Robin Hood.” The man continues his introduction by explaining the rules of the auction: all items will be paid for on completion of the auction. All items are paid for in cash, no exceptions. Anyone caught engaging in “the trade” while attending the auction will be treated as a deadbeat bidder. Anyone who fails to immediately pay for an item they have will be considered a deadbeat bidder, and will be dealt with in a manner that will leave them as a truly dead bidder. Then he brings forward the man responsible for the evening’s auction. A male figure dressed sharply in a fine, flowing robe and a full mask that covers everything but his eyes comes forward from behind a partition set up behind the stage. The entire mask is covered in a copy of the eye that has been seen in the cloisonné pins of the henchmen. The masked man welcomes his guests to this unique auction. He introduces himself as the “All Seeing Eye,” and expresses hope that everyone will enjoy the auction. As he begins to turn to leave, the disguised Lady Lilliamont will stand up and point her parasol at the masked man and exclaim “For the honour of my husband I shall see you dead, sir.” Her parasol lets out a crack as the built-in derringer unloads its single bullet. Even if the players have come to her side this should come as a shock. If the players stop her from firing the bullet she claws furiously at them before having a minor breakdown until her stiff British upbringing brings her back under control.

14

Regardless of Lady Lilliamont’s outburst, as soon as the masked figure bangs the gavel announcing the opening of the auction, two of the thugs begin to bring out an astounding-looking cannon-like weapon, which the masked man describes as one of Nemo’s greatest inventions, the Light Lance, and gets no further into his description as the doors of the warehouse burst open and several bobbies begin piling in with truncheons swinging. The auction turns into a mad house as everyone begins scrambling to get out; the bobbies are pushed back outside as a wave of London’s criminal element surges forward. A few bobbies manage to keep to their feet, and begin attempting to bring order to the madness when the henchmen (use the Merry Men template from above) carrying the Light Lance turn it on the bobbies.

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Pulp Fantastic

Light Lance So heavy it must be carried by two men, this immense weapon is a primitive (but reproducible) terrestrial version of the dreaded Martian Heat Ray. It has a spherical chamber, pierced with what appear to be several ventilation holes, with in a short, squat barrel protruding from it. It produces an ominous hum as its inner mechanisms charge. The exquisitely beautiful, 4” wide shaft of light that emerges from the barrel is nonetheless quite deadly, causing terrible, searing wounds. Requires Marksman (Mounted Weapons) to use. The weapon fires in Fully-Automatic Mode, like a Machine Gun (page 141), and is about as accurate. Weapon Light Lance

Range

Ammunition

Damage

Recoil

49/98/293

10-20

10/20/30

-3

The All Seeing Eye runs behind the partition behind the stage, lets out a hideous cackling laugh, and the entire warehouse begins to rumble, shake, and jolt…upward. Several people are knocked off their feet. It will require a reflexive Coordination + Athletics check for characters stay on their feet. Unsuccessful characters are knocked down for a number of rounds equal to how much they failed this roll by (for example, failing by 3 = 3 rounds attempting to get to their feet).

GAMEMASTER

The stage shifts, the partition behind the stage falls over, crashing into the podium revealing a large wheel like that of a nautical ship, as well as a massive window that looks out upon the warehouse’s walls, but not for long as the massive zeppelin that has been disguised as a part of the warehouse begins to ascend into London’s night sky. While the ship is rising into the air, the characters have to deal with the Light Lance-wielding henchmen, as well as the other henchmen that have been left to deal with the bobbies (one and a half henchmen for each character rounded down should be sufficient for a formidable fight). Lady Lilliamont will engage the thugs as best she can while aiding the characters. The characters should be able to overpower the thugs in a few rounds, but as they begin to get their bearings they will see that the All Seeing Eye has set his disguised zeppelin on a crash course for the Big Ben clock tower. The characters have to wrest the controls of the Zeppelin from the desperate madman bent on destroying all of those aboard. He’ll curse the characters for their interference, and promises that they will pay for their meddling. As the characters begin to overpower the All Seeing 230

Eye, he’ll smash a blinking green button on the console, which triggers a series of small explosions. “The controls are now worthless, the explosives in the chandelier will set off the hydrogen in the zeppelin, between the explosion and the wreckage everyone aboard and below will perish, and of course that clockwork eyesore will no longer plague the skyline of London further. Let me go, and I will stop this destruction.” An Awareness + Subterfuge check allows a character to know the All Seeing Eye is lying. As the characters attempt to regain control of the ship:

The Nemo Diary A successful Ingenuity + Transport check allows a successful character to regain some control of the zeppelin. A Fantastic success allows the character to narrowly miss the clock tower. If the characters can manage to reach the chandelier they will find an extensive array of wires that appear to be hooked to multiple explosives arranged all around the ship. A Tricky (15) Ingenuity + Technology check will allow the character to defuse the explosives. During the scuffle, the attempt to right the zeppelin, fighting off any other henchmen the gm may wish to throw at the characters, and the attempt to defuse the explosives, the All Seeing Eye will attempt to get away by jumping out of a window or a hatch (escaping to plague the characters at a later time if the gm wishes). However, as he attempts to flee, a character may grab the mask (if the All Seeing Eye hasn’t already been unmasked) otherwise the mask catches on a piece of wreckage and his face is revealed: Geoffrey George Lilliamont. A gm may wish to substitute another NPC as the All Seeing Eye that better fits their campaign.

Aftermath The surviving characters are thanked by Lady Lilliamont, if she survived, who is in shock that her own husband was the culprit that tried to have her killed. The Lady can become a benefactor, ally, or contact to the characters.

All Seeing Eye Quote: “None are hidden from the searing gaze of the All-Seeing Eye!” Awareness:

3

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

3

Presence:

4

Resolve:

5

Strength:

3

Skills: Convince 4, Fighting 3, Knowledge 3, Marksman 3, Subterfuge 3, Technology 3, Transport 3 Traits: Dark Secret (Minor Bad Trait) Hypnosis (Major Good Trait) Linguist (Minor Good Trait) Minions (Major Good Trait) Owed Favour (Major Good Trait) Weird Tech (Major Good Trait) Total Character Points: 51 Trappings: Weapon

Range

Ammunition

Damage

Recoil

Holdout Pistol

5/10/20

6

1/2/3

0

Story Points: 12

The police will want an explanation, and may even arrest the characters believing that they had something to do with this whole thing. Lady Lilliamont may come to their aid and manage their release. A gm who wants to lead directly into the next adventure may have Mr. Haberdrant arrange their release, but only if they look into a certain matter for him. Regardless, the characters have an enemy in the All Seeing Eye, if he managed to escape, or the second in command of this mysterious new criminal element in London.

14

Characters should receive 1 Experience Point for surviving the adventure. +1 Experience Point for saving Big Ben +1 Experience Point for preventing the ship from blowing up over London. +1 Experience Point to the best role player of the session as voted on by the players.

231

Bibliography References As it was a time of growth for mass media, especial printed matter, the 1920s and 1930s were a time where much was written, and later, much was written about. Almost any subject on the era has a great and variety of tomes and articles covering it. Most anything a gm needs for running a game or creating ambiance can be found in print – or in the Net. These references are by no means exhaustive, but they are both informative and fun, or simply available.

Movies and TV Nothing will prepare you better for running and/or playing a pulp game than watching a pulp film. Bear in mind that we didn’t select this material based solely in its quality – some of these movies are BAD! All will have some redeeming quality, however, being atmosphere, plot, slang, sets, or production values. Raiders of the Lost Ark. The definitive pulp hero movie. This movie pits our hero against Nazis and the search for the mystical Ark of the Covenant. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Prequel to Raiders. Great villains and the Temple of Doom is a truly hellish setting. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Jones seeks the Holy Grail aided by his father. Evil Nazis and a fanatical secret society oppose him.

series of films based on The Destroyer series of novels. Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension. A cult classic form 1984, this movie shows a hero and his companions in the style made famous by Doc Savage: Buckaroo Banzai and his Hong Kong Cavaliers, scientists and rock stars. They battle monsters, aliens, a mad scientist and criminals bent on conquering the world. Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile. Kathleen Turner at her most beautiful and Micheal Douglas as a reluctant (anti-)hero. Adventure and exotism galore. Zone Troopers. WWII soldiers deal with an invasion from space in the Italian theatre of operations. Hitler himself appears in this B-movie. The Shadow. This entertaining adaptation of the radio incarnation of the classic pulp hero, which does a nice job of presenting a war between two rival psychics with mesmeric powers. The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. Big time adventure, extreme fun, distilled pulpery in both movies. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Laura Croft: Tomb Raider The Cradle of Life. Angelina Jolie plays the computer game heroine. Relic Hunter. A TV show focusing a modern-day treasure hunter. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Fabulous imagery in this amazing recreation of a 1940s serial in just one movie.

Doc Savage, The Man of Bronze. This first Doc Savage movie was developed in 1975 by the veteran producer George Pal, who is also responsible for the War of the Worlds and The Time Machine adaptations.

The Phantom. The comic strip hero brought to the big screen starring Billy Zane.

King Solomon’s Mines. There are several versions of the classic H. Rider Haggard adventure novel. There are VHS and DVD editions of the earlier versions (1937 and 1950). Please don’t watch the 1985 version with Richard Chamberlain first – you won’t get the story at all. There’s also a 2004 version.

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. Mike Mignola’s hero returning for another story adaptation.

Allan Quartermain and the City of Gold. Sequel to King Solomon’s Mines and much more visible. Quatermain searches for a lost city. Firewalker. Lou Gosset, Jr. and Chuck Norris are the adventurers in this 1980s adventure film, following the dreams of a beautiful girl through an imaginary South-American country. Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. A failed start for a

Hellboy. Mike Mignola’s hero – another comic book adaptation.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Don’t watch this if you liked the comic. If you don’t know it, it might be enjoyable – heroes from Victorian novels meet up to fight villains. Sahara. Another modern day adventure movie, Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz seek out a disappeared Civil War ironclad. It doesn’t resemble the novel except in basic plot and name, but it is an enjoyable way to kill a couple of hours. The Librarian: The Quest for the Spear. When the Spear of Destiny is lifted from his library, a meek librarian sets out to ensure its safe return. To do so, however, he enlists the

Pulp Fantastic service of a woman with exceptional martial arts skills who becomes the enforcer in the relationship. The Librarian: Return to King Soloman’s Mine. Librarian-turned-adventurer Flynn Carsen endeavors to find King Solomon’s mines. The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice. After retrieving the philosophical stone at an auction but losing his girlfriend, the librarian Flynn Carsen has a breakdown. In this adventure he travels to New Orleans, meets a Vampire and recovers the most precious gift of all time, the cup of Judas.

Comics Terry and the Pirates, by Milton Caniff, was one of the most popular comic strips of the 30s. Adventures in China in their war against invading Japan. The look is very realistic, and the strip includes some of the more iconic characters in the pulps: Pat Ryan, the hero adventurer; The Dragon Lady, slinkiest of femme fatales; Terry Lee, boy growing up into hero. Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray. A very long lived comic strip, run for almost 50 years since its inception in the 1920s. Cliffhangers galore, Annie has some of the most accomplished pulp heroes as allies. Flash Gordon by Alex Raymond. The best of science fiction comics (today it would be called science fantasy), the landscapes, creatures and starships in this strip would live in the imaginations of several generations.

The Genre The Hero Pulp Index, by Robert Weinberg and Lohr McKinstry. A comprehensive index of the pulp magazines. Difficult to find, since very few were printed. The Shudder Pulps, by Robert Kenneth Jones. Horror and weird menace pulps in a global overview. Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life, by Philip José Farmer. A biography of the Man of Bronze, and his sidekicks, nemesis and ancestry (which include several fictional heroes).

The Pulp Magazines Although many pulp stories have been reprinted over the years, many thousands more weren’t. Probably the only way to find some of the stories in the magazines is to collect them, a hobby many find enjoyable. Some magazines may be found for little money, especially the later pulps of the late 40s and the 50s, but count on paying a tidy sum for early work of the most famous magazines. Still, many are appearing on the internet or in CD collections from prices ranging from nothing to very cheap. Usually, the pulp publishers made use of house names. Street & Smith, for example, used the house name Kenneth Robeson for Doc Savage stories, written by Lester Dent (who wrote the majority), Norman Danberg, Alan Hathaway or William Bogert, as well as for their Avenger series written by Paul Ernst. It became so famous that the publisher started 234

a detective series for another magazine under it, to be written by Lester Dent - According to the advertising, they had persuaded the star author to write another series. Pseudonyms weren’t at all uncommon in the business. Lester Dent himself wrote stories under his own name in the same magazine. And it was not unusual for authors to have several pen names. Sometimes this was to differentiate works in different styles. John W. Campbell wrote universe-crashing, super-science space-opera under his own name and poetic, visionary stories under the name Don A. Stuart. Biographies, bibliographies and other references may list authors under their real name or one or more of their pseudonyms.

Reprints These are usually paperback. Note that even most reprints are out of print and are hard to find, so be prepared for some leg work in second hand bookstores.

Crimefighting/Superhero The Avenger. Warner Books began reprinting the Avenger series in paperback in June of 1972, and all 24 original stories are now available. Beginning with #25, the books are not reprints, but original stories written in the mid-seventies. The reprints are fairly scarce, but the new stories (which are generally more far-fetched than the originals) are not too difficult to find − some used book stores have several copies. Doc Savage. Beginning in 1964, Bantam set out to reprint the entire series of Doc Savage stories. They began with #1, The Man of Bronze, but broke the original order immediately, following it with The Thousand-Headed Man (originally #17), Meteor Menace (originally #13), and so on. They reprinted nearly 100 of the stories before switching to two-in-one novels (hard to find) and finally choosing to do the Doc Savage Omnibus series, currently in print. Hard to find. The Shadow. There are several reprints of The Shadow stories. However, beginning in September 1963 there were several new stories published by Belmont Books using the same house name of Maxwell Grant. This Shadow does not resemble the original pulp character. In 1969 Bantam Books (happy with the success of their Doc Savage reprints) began to reprint the original Shadow stories, which was short lived due do poor sales. Pyramid Books reprinted some in the 1970s, and HBJ/Jove reprinted several (with excellent Steranko cover art) beginning in the late 70s. With over 300 original Shadow stories in the pulps and many reprints out, it shouldn’t be too difficult to put together a fair collection. The Spider. In 1969, Berkley Books began to reissue the Spider in its original order. The first two (by R.T.M. Scott) were not written in the same action-packed style as the rest of the Spider stories (written by Norvell Page), and so the reprint series was doomed to failure. It lasted through The Spider Strikes, The Wheel of Death, Wings of the Black Death, and City of Flaming Shadows. Hard to find.

Bibliography

Aviation/War

Spy/Espionage

G-8. In the late 1960s Berkley Books began to reprint the G-8 series. Even with terrific cover art by Jim Steranko, the series failed to make it past the first three: The Bat Staffel, Purple Aces, and Aces of the White Death. Hard to find.

Operator #5. A series of reprints from Corinth Books following the adventures of Operator #5. There are eight books: Legions of the Death Master, The Invisible Empire, The Army of the Dead, Master of Broken Men, Hosts of the Flaming Death, Blood Reign of the Dictator, March of the Flame Marauders and Invasion of the Yellow Warlords. A ninth book, Legions of Starvation, was announced, but never printed.

Dusty Ayres. The reprints of these pulp aviation stories (in which most of the world has been conquered by the sinister Evil Eyes and his Black Invaders) began in the 1960s by Corinth Books. It only last through five books: Black Lightning, Crimson Doom, Purple Tornado, The Tesla Raiders, and Battle Birds versus the Black Invaders, a series of short stories.

Horror/Weird Menace Doctor Death. Reprints of a short-lived Horror/ Weird Menace/Crimefighting magazine with a villainous central character, Jonathan Death paperback series (Corinth) was equally short-lived. The series includes Twelve Must Die, The Grey Creatures, The Shrivelling Murderers, and a collection of short stories, Stories from Doctor Death. Jules de Grandin. Several of the Jules de Grandin stories (by Seabury Quinn) were reprinted by Popular Library in the mid-seventies with a science fiction classification. Although they are horror stories, you might get some results if looking in the science fiction department. The reprints contained several stories (usually 5-7) and usually included the name Jules de Grandin in the title (such as The Adventures of Jules de Grandin, the first book). Easy to find. Lovecraft and Others. Perhaps the ultimate horror writer of the age, H.P. Lovecraft’s most famous stories revolve around Things Man Was Not Meant To Know -- the Cthulhu Mythos stories. Lovecraft penned over a dozen by himself, and collaborated on many more. Many of his peers (August Derleth, Robert E. Howard, Frank Belknap Long, Clark Ashton Smith and Robert Bloch, just to name a few) wrote stories set against the same backgrounds, providing hundreds of Eldritch Horrors for a horror campaign. The most famous Lovecraft stories are The Call of Cthulhu, The Dunwich Horror, The Shadow Over Innsmouth, At the Mountains of Madness (set in Antarctica), The Shadow Out of Time and The Thing on the Doorstep. All are available in anthologies. There is also an extensive collection of Lovecraft’s letters, many of them to other pulp writers; they are a good look into the world of the pulps. Robert E. Howard wrote extensively and in many pulp genres. Because of the success of the Conan stories, almost anything with Howard’s name on it would sell; collections of his westerns, boxing stories, weird menace adventures and spicy stories (very mild by modern standards, but considered near pornography in the 30s) have all been published. Suggested is the new series from Balentine Books such as the The Coming of Conan and The Savage Tales of Soloman Kane. The series Millenium Fantasy Masterworks has all Conan stories in two volumes.

Secret Agent X. Corinth also reprinted the exploits of Secret Agent X, another master of disguise. The series includes The Torture Trust, Servants of the Skull, Curse of the Mandarin’s Fan, City of the Living Dead, The Death Torch Terror, Octopus of Crime, and The Sinister Scourge. Fu Manchu. Pyramid Books has reprinted many of the Fu Manchu stories beginning with The Insidious Doctor Fu Manchu (originally The Mystery of Fu Manchu) in 1963. They have gone through several printings, so they are fairly easy to find. Rohmer also wrote many other books; most have been reprinted in paperback and show up at the used-book stores. The Saint. Leslie Charteris began the chronicles of Simon Templar, the modern Robin Hood, in the 20s, and continued them for decades. In the 30s, the Saint frequently visited America. The Saint is a classic pulp hero in many ways: strong, handsome, honorable, good with weapons. He is also clever; he prefers to outwit rather than outgun the opposition. The Val Kilmer movie of the 1990s, while entertaining, was not an accurate portrayal of Charteris’ Saint.

Adventure/Exploration Pellucidar. This series of stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs is set in the world of Pellucidar, a land in the centre of the earth. gms can use it as is, or exploit it for ideas for lost world adventures. Professor Challenger. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World and other Professor Challenger stories also excellent sources of pulp ideas for exploration campaigns centered around a hidden world or lost civilization. Most were reprinted several years ago and can still be found second-hand.

B

Detective Stories The Hard-Boiled Anthology, edited by Joseph T. Shaw. Shaw was the editor of Black Mask from 1926 to 1936. He is the editor most associated with the “hard-boiled” school of pulp detective fiction. In 1946 he put together one of the first and one of the best anthologies of that style. The Hard-Boiled Dicks, edited by Ron Goulart. Edited by a science fiction writer who is also a pulp historian, this anthology saves some of the more obscure detective pulp writers from being forgotten. The Hard-Boiled Detective, edited by Herbert Ruhm. Another excellent collection of pulp tales, almost all reprinted for the first time in years. 235

Pulp Fantastic Carrol John Daly may have invented the hard-boiled detective; he was certainly one of the first to write of them. He was the most popular writer in Black Mask and contributed to several other magazines.

the past and the weirdness of their super-hero and pulpish world and past. The best resource of all for campaigns in the contemporary world and for a mix of the not-to-dissimilar worlds of super heroes and pulp.

Raymond Chandler learned to write as a pulp contributor; most of his stories have been reprinted.

Hammett by Joe Gores. The most famous hard-boiled detective writer stars in this book, as a hard boiled detective.

Dashiell Hammett actually worked as a detective before taking up writing about them. His Continental Op is the very definition of the pulp detective. He often mixed detective stories with other pulp genres.

The Era

Science Fiction

The New York Times Chronicle of American Life: From the Crash to the Blitz, 1929-1939, by Cabell Phillips. Almost 600 pages of stories and photographs covering all aspects of American life during the 30s. Easy reading since it is a conglomeration of short articles on various topics.

Science Fiction of the 30s, edited by Damon Knight, has not only a fine selection of stories but reproduces the original illustrations and has brief notes on the writers and history of the magazines. Before the Golden Age, edited by Isaac Asimov. A good example of what Science Fiction was before John W. Campbell, complete with Asimov’s own notes about what it was like to write science fiction for the pulps. The Lensman and Skylark of Space books, all by E.E. Smith, Ph.D. Classic space opera, with heroes and villains much larger than life and superscience galore.

General The Pulps. This compilation of pulp stories from various genres (edited by Tony Goodstone) also contains color reproductions of several pulp covers. The scarcity (and cost) of many of the old pulp stories makes this valuable to gm and players alike. There’s plenty of other stories reprinted, often in anthologies, which are not that hard to track down. Many libraries have collections. The University of Texas at Austin, for instance, has a complete file of Adventure pulps. The revival of critical interest in American popular literature has produced some good reprints, many with original illustrations; these are also more likely to be found at a college library. There are several mail-order bookstores that can provide copies at a reasonable cost.

Comtemporary Pulp Congo, by Michael Crichton. A group of modern-day scientists explore dark Africa in search of the Lost City of Zinj. Excellent as a guide to modern equipment available to adventurers in this era. Weird Heroes, edited by Byron Priess. There are a handful of volumes in this series of “modern pulp” stories put out in the mid-seventies. It contains excellent stories and artwork by many of the best science fiction writers and artists of today. Great for adventure and character ideas. The Nemesis of Evil, by Lin Carter. Carter’s tribute for Doc Savage and other pulp heroes. Planetary by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday. Splendid comic book series about a trio of archeologists discovering 236

This section refers to historical or contemporary resources about the 1930s.

This Fabulous Century; Volume 4, 1930-1940. A great book for consulting information on background including a Depression era shopping list on p. 27 and an excellent section on gangsters and the FBI on pp. 100-113. there are other eras available in this collection. Old encyclopedias. Consulting encyclopedia sets published in or about the 1930s will provide the point of view of the contemporary person. The Encyclopedia Britannica is particularly useful, and editions up the middle 50s still used mostly material from the 30s. Newspapers. Many libraries have newspaper collections. Old news, and perhaps even more, old gossip, editorials and advertisements give the past a reality that is hard to duplicate from formal histories.

Places Empires in the Dust and Lost Cities and Vanished Civilizations, by Robert Silverberg. Well-written histories of such ancient peoples as the Babylonians, Egyptians and Aztecs. Richard Halliburton’s Complete Book of Marvels and other books by Richard Halliburton. Halliburton was a best-selling travel writer of the 1930s. He was a real-life adventurer and explorer, and visited many of the areas described in Chapter 2. He dived into the Well at Chichen Itza, climbed the Pyramids, trekked through Tibet and tried to visit Mecca. Halliburton disappeared at sea in 1939 while trying to sail a Chinese junk from China to America. There’s also a posthumous collection of his letters giving a unique point of view of the times and peoples he met. National Geographic publications. Most libraries keep National Geographic magazine; large ones have files that extend well before the 30s. Used magazines are frequently for sale at used book stores and estate sales. They were printed on high-quality paper and usually have survived in good shape. Modern issues can be used for background when running adventures in exotic locales; there are frequent historical notes in the articles. National Geographic books (such as Lost Empires, Living Tribes detailing Central and South American natives) are always great reading and with extraordinary photographs.

Bibliography Atlas of Ancient Archaeology, by Hawkes. An excellent reference work for running Adventure/Exploration campaigns. It locates and details archaeological sites around the world. Roy Chapman Andrews explored in Asia from before the Great War, and spent part of that war as a U.S. Army Intelligence officer in China. He led the first automobile expedition into Mongolia in 1920. He wrote several works of non-fiction, and two “Young Adult” novels, Quest in the Desert and Quest for the Snow Leopard, with excellent pictures of expedition life in Asia. John W. Thomason, Jr. was a Marine Corps officer from WWI until his death in 1944. He was also an excellent writer and illustrator. Several of his books, especially “-And a Few Marines” and Salt Winds and Gobi Dust, give a picture of life at the last of the colonial era -- a literal picture because the books are illustrated with Thomason’s own drawings. He served in China, Haiti and Nicaragua and set stories in all three. John Masters was an officer of the Indian Army in the last days of the Empire. He served as a lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion, 4th (Prince of Wales Own) Gurkha Rifles from the mid-30s until the early part of WWII. His autobiography, Bugles and a Tiger, is a superb picture of that vanished way of life. His novel Man of War shows India, England and Spain of the 30s from the point of view of a professional soldier. Hunter by John A. Hunter. Hunter was a professional African hunter from before WWI until the 50s. This book is an autobiography with a background of the wild years of Africa. African Rifles and Cartridges by John Taylor. Taylor was another African professional; in his case the profession was ivory poaching. The book is intended as a treatise on the best guns for African game, and it is a superb one. It is also a look at a real adventurer of the pulp era, without any polishing. It is full of the casual racism that is so much a part of the pulp era, and so appalling today. F. van Wyck Mason was a popular historical novelist; he was also a pulp writer. His novels about Hugh North, a U.S. Army intelligence officer, started in the 30s and continued into the 60s. Mason had traveled in Europe and Asia and the background and detail of the novels is authentic. North is both spy and detective; the detail on 30s criminological techniques is also authentic.

B

John P. Marquand was a serious novelist who wrote magazine stories to finance his more important work. Only his Mr. Moto stories remain in print. Moto is a Japanese intelligence officer who gets involved in mysterious crimes. The backgrounds are authentic and the attitudes of the era, without the benefit of hindsight, give a feel for 30s characters.

237

Appendix Pulp Archetypes

T

his appendix gives you several out of the box characters to use, that way you can get started right away. These character types are the ones most commonly found in the pulp stories. Although the recorded stories of the pulp era focused on white males, there’s no reason for role players to assume that there aren’t untold stories of both sexes and all races.  We encourage players and GMs to use these archetypes to go beyond traditional stereotypes, creating new characters to represent the goodness and heroism of many people at that point in history.

Academic Though not naturally adventurous, the academic is often drawn into adventure by their overwhelming thirst for knowledge, for their hunger for the answers to the questions that plague them. Living between the explorer and the scientist, the academic is driven by their near-obsessive interest in their particular field (something dry usually, like history, archeology, anthropology, linguistics or paleontology). Academics rarely consider the scientific or practical application of the knowledge they uncover; for them, the great prize is knowledge itself. Their desire for new information can be so great that it leads them into danger, as they disregard their own safety in pursuit of new and fascinating data. While rarely well-suited for travel to strange lands, and uncomfortable outside the grounds of their university of library, academics are nevertheless often found in the field, accompanying explorers and relic hunters to ensure proper rigor and procedure is followed at all times – or just to try and ensure that the “hot heads” don’t get themselves into yet more trouble! Quote: “Fascinating! The inscriptions on this jar appear to be Etruscan, but the syntax is more like Sumerian...” Awareness:

3

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

5

Presence:

3

Resolve:

3

Strength:

3

Skills: Knowledge 4, Medicine 1, Science 2, Technology 2, Transport 2 Traits: Clumsy (Minor Bad Trait) Eccentric (Minor Bad Trait) Friends in Academia (Minor Good Trait) Hobby (Minor Good Trait) Insatiable Curiosity (Minor Bad Trait) Linguist (Minor Good Trait) Super Amalgamated (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 32 Unspent Character Points: 10 Story Points: 12

Pulp Fantastic

Air Ace

Big Game Hunter

While no longer a new technology in the Pulp Era, flight has yet to become commonplace and to many the air ace personifies the spirit of the age. Flight is still seen as daring, glamorous and alluringly dangerous. Every passing year brings new advances in aircraft, new achievements and new records broken. With the Great War only a few years past, aviators have become dashing, heroic figures, and their adventures are a thrilling escape from the mundane problems of the day-to-day life.

In a world largely unconcerned or unaware of animal extinctions and ecological issues, the big game hunter still cuts a dash in the Pulp Era as he returns from untamed lands far beyond the reach of civilization bearing exotic trophies and even more exotic after-dinner tales of peril and excitement. He brings with him a touch of the jungle’s primal savagery, a hint of danger and more than a little disregard for the rules of “polite” society.

Many of the Pulp aviators were ex-military pilots and veterans of the Great War against the Germans, though their adventures in the magazines were often even more bizarre than those of their comrades. For example, heroes such as G-8 and his Battle Aces fought mad scientists, monsters and even supernatural menaces. The adventures of these heroic aviators encompassed speed, travel to exotic locations, high technology, the freedom of the air and thrilling dog-fights with merciless and deadly opponents. There are only a handful of commercial airlines in operation, so unless they are of independent means, most air aces will be forced into freelancing if they want to stay in the air. Possible freelance jobs include flying for Hollywood, mercenary work, giving lessons, or performing daredevil stunts at air shows. Quote: “YeeeeeHAAAAAA!”

Quote: “Move quietly, but confidently. If we act like prey, they’ll act like predators.” Awareness:

5

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

4

Presence:

3

Resolve:

3

Strength:

4

Skills: Animal Handling 2, Athletics 2, Fighting 3, Knowledge 2, Marksman 3, Subterfuge 3, Survival 3 Traits: Adversary (Minor Bad Trait)

Awareness:

4

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

3

Favorite Gun (Minor Good Trait)

Presence:

3

Resolve:

4

Strength:

4

Keen Senses (Minor Good Trait)

Skills: Athletics 3, Fighting 3, Knowledge 2, Marksman 2, Technology 2, Transport 3 Traits: Adversary (Minor Bad Trait) Favorite Vehicle (Minor Good Trait) Hot Shot (Minor Good Trait) Impulsive (Minor Bad Trait) Maverick (Minor Bad Trait) Quick Reflexes (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 37 Unspent Character Points: 5 Story Points: 12

240

Big game hunters often worked as safari guides, leading parties of less-experienced hunters through dense jungle and across lion-haunted savannahs, or working with explorers. In the Pulps, he was often the foil or business partner of the main hero. Big game hunters were also frequently depicted as villainous; greedy poachers, insensitive colonialists or deranged obsessives.

Maverick (Minor Bad Trait) Sharpshooter (Minor Good Trait) Tracker (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 42 Story Points: 12

Appendix

Brawler

Escape Artist

His whole body hurt, and Ted’s arms felt like he was trying to lift soaking wet blankets. This was the big fight though, and he had to show the folks from back where he came from that he was as tough as they thought he was…at least as tough as the palooka he’d been trading punches with. This is what it felt like to be thoroughly beaten and he didn’t like it. Ted didn’t like it when he was a kid either.

Escape artists can break free from deadly traps and horrible contraptions. The twist is that the traps belong to the artist. Most escape artists are consummate perfectionists—indeed, their profession, as well as their lives, depends on executing every twist, turn, and key perfectly.

Being raised on the streets makes you tough. Tough guys can go one of two ways on the streets: go into crime or help others. The brawler didn’t start out to be a hero, but when it came time to make the tough decisions and push came to shove, he ended up on that path anyway. You never thought that you would ever end up as anything but another broken down palooka, but it looks like your choices are taking you on to bigger and better things in this world. Many Pulp heroes were brawlers or boxers, tapping into the growth in popularity of boxing during the era. Boxers were modern gladiators, manly and heroic, and boxing itself was referred to as “the pugilistic art” or “the sweet science”, valuing technique and skill over brute force. Brawlers usually have a day job that involves physical work and a lot of exercise that helps keep them at the peak of their fitness, and they often use any spare time to work on improving their style, technique and endurance. A brawler might work as a dock worker, a meat packer, cop, bouncer, soldier, sailor or mob enforcer while in training for his next fight. Quote: “You gotta stay humble, kid. Remember where you came from, ‘cause there’s always somebody tougher out there, and the way down is faster than the way up.” Awareness:

3

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

3

Presence:

3

Resolve:

4

Strength:

5

Quote: “For my next trick, I shall escape from my shackles while immersed in an air-tight chest sunk in a vat of boiling acid…” Awareness:

3

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

4

Presence:

5

Resolve:

3

Strength:

3

Skills: Athletics 3, Convince 3, Knowledge 2, Subterfuge 3, Technology 2 Traits: Breaking & Entering (Major Good Trait) Dark Secret (Minor Bad Trait) Eccentric (Minor Bad Trait) Lucky (Minor Good Trait) Obsession (Minor Good Trait) Quick Reflexes (Minor Good Trait) Resourceful Pockets (Minor Good Trait) Wealthy (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 40 Unspent Character Points: 2 Story Points: 12

Skills: Athletics 3, Fighting 4, Medicine 2, Transport 2 Traits: Brave (Minor Good Trait) Impoverished (Minor Bad Trait) Never Gives Up (Major Good Trait) Owes Favor (Minor Bad Trait)

A

Quick Reflexes (Minor Good Trait) Tough (Minor Good Trait) Unattractive (Minor Bad Trait) Total Character Points: 33 Unspent Character Points: 9 Story Points: 12

241

Pulp Fantastic

Explorer

Femme Fatale

The world is an exciting place and the Explorer views it as a huge opportunity. Explorers are the first to go anywhere from the unknown plateaus to the center of the earth, equally at home hacking their way through sweltering jungle or trekking across icy wastes. They rely on their bravery and experience to travel through the unknown on all seven continents, always seeking out new adventures.

Equipped with charm, beauty and brains, the femme fatale uses her feminine wiles to achieve her goals while stealing the hearts of the men around her. Using her sex appeal to turn men into stuttering fools, this alluring vixen is strongwilled, confident, highly intelligent, frequently physically formidable and often utterly lethal. In an era when women were encouraged to be little more than docile wives and mothers, the femme fatale is anything but. She craves adventure and excitement, and is often attempting to right a wrong done her in the past.

Explorers fall into two basic categories; sponsored and self-funded. Sponsored explorers are those funded by external bodies such as scientific research societies, museums, universities and governments. Due to the high cost of transportation, equipment and qualified personal, most explorers fall into the latter category. Quote: “If you believe conventional wisdom, there are no blank spots left on the map. Conventional wisdom is wrong. If you want to find the blank spot, leave the map behind.” Awareness:

5

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

3

Presence:

3

Resolve:

4

Strength:

4

Skills: Athletics 3, Fighting 3, Knowledge 3, Marksman 2, Subterfuge 3, Survival 3 Traits:

Usually portrayed as villainous – or at least morally ambivalent – the femme fatale nearly always gets what she wants, and is mistress of every situation. She is skilled at manipulating men into doing what she wants and rarely does her own dirty work. Though her facade is usually transparent to other women, she is a master at projecting an air of wounded vulnerability and innocence, making their accusations seem petty and motivated by jealousy. Quote: “If it’s fun you’re after boy, come on over. But be warned - I bite…” Awareness:

4

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

4

Presence:

5

Resolve:

4

Strength:

3

Insatiable Curiosity (Minor Bad Trait)

Skills: Convince 3, Fighting 3, Knowledge 2, Marksman 2, Subterfuge 3, Transport 2

Linguist (Minor Good Trait)

Traits:

Maverick (Minor Bad Trait)

Adversary (Major Bad Trait)

Obsession (Minor Good Trait)

Attractive (Minor Good Trait)

Sense of Direction (Minor Good Trait)

Breaking & Entering (Major Good Trait)

Total Character Points: 40

Charming (Minor Good Trait)

Unspent Character Points: 2

Dark Secret (Minor Bad Trait)

Story Points: 12

Empathic (Minor Good Trait) Minions (Major Good Trait) Selfish (Minor Bad Trait) Total Character Points: 41 Unspent Character Points: 1 Story Points: 12

242

Appendix

Gangster

Gentleman Crook

Like the gentleman crook, the gangster is a criminal. Unlike the gentleman crook, he’s no gentleman.

For the idle rich, boredom is a constant threat. With nothing more serious to do than plan the next party or the next seduction, the gentleman crook has turned to crime to provide the ultimate thrill or to right some perceived wrong. Motivated by a need to outsmart the opposition, the gentleman crook usually cares little for the money he steals, preferring instead to focus on the style and daring of the crime itself. Rarely does he steal from those ho cannot afford the loss, and his spoils are often donated to the poor or those in need, giving him a “Robin Hood” reputation. Many gentleman crooks prefer to steal only from those who it is felt deserve it; criminals, corrupt politicians or just people with appalling taste and bad manners.

The gangster may be a bank robber, mob enforcer or simply a low level mook involved with the rackets (illegal gambling, bootlegging, extortion, kidnapping, fraud, etc). The pulp era was highly conscious of crime. The “Ten Most Wanted” list turned bank robbers into national heroes of a sort, while prohibition made bootleggers rich, and gang wars with Tommy-guns created legends. Quote: “Gangsters don’t ask questions, sweetheart. Gangsters just get answers.” Awareness:

3

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

4

Presence:

4

Resolve:

5

Strength:

3

Skills: Athletics 2, Convince 3, Fighting 2, Marksman 3, Subterfuge 3, Transport 2

Some gentleman crooks operate under an assumed identity, while others are known but rely on their great skill to avoid being caught.

Traits:

Quote: “What a charming necklace, Lady Carstairs.”

Adversary (Major Bad Trait)

Awareness:

4

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

5

Breaking & Entering (Major Good Trait)

Presence:

4

Resolve:

3

Strength:

3

Maverick (Minor Bad Trait) Owed Favor (Minor Good Trait) Selfish (Minor Bad Trait) Tough (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 37 Unspent Character Points: 5 Story Points: 12

Skills: Athletics 3, Convince 3, Knowledge 2, Subterfuge 3, Technology 2 Traits: Adversary (Minor Bad Trait) Breaking & Entering (Major Good Trait) Charming (Minor Good Trait) Dark Secret (Major Bad Trait) Lucky (Minor Good Trait) Obsession (Minor Bad Trait) Wealthy (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 36 Unspent Character Points: 6 Story Points: 12

A

243

Pulp Fantastic

G-Man

Grease Monkey

Smart, stalwart and rigidly dedicated, G-men are agents of some branch of the U.S. Government: the fbi, the Prohibition Bureau, the Treasury Department, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (fbn), the Immigration and Naturalization Service, etc. Armed with access to national resources and powers far beyond that of local law enforcement, the G-Man is the sworn enemy of espionage and organized crime.

Skills: Athletics 2, Convince 2, Fighting 3, Knowledge 3, Marksman 3, Subterfuge 1, Technology 1, Transport 2

The grease monkey is a skilled engineer and mechanic with a natural affinity for technology, particularly of the vehicular variety. With his stained overalls and battered toolbox, the grease monkey may often look slightly shabby next to the square-jawed hero types, and may have difficulty talking to anything that doesn’t have an overhead camshaft, but he’s the best there is at what he does, and what he does is fix things. Courageous, loyal and hard-working, the grease monkey is as invaluable a tool in the fight against crime as the chrome-plated .45 and the domino mask. He’s the one who keeps the crime-fighters esoteric vehicles and arsenal of equipment in peak working order, the one who coaxes a battered engine into life just long enough to track the gang of hijackers and who is always willing to wade into a scrap armed with nothing but his trusty over-sized wrench.

Traits:

Quote: “I knew I should have brought a bigger wrench!”

Quote: “No sir, the fbi does not have a sense of humor that we are aware of.” Awareness:

4

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

4

Presence:

4

Resolve:

4

Strength:

4

Authority (Minor Good Trait)

Awareness:

2

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

4

Breaking & Entering (Major Good Trait)

Presence:

2

Resolve:

3

Strength:

2

By the Book (Minor Bad Trait) Code of Conduct (Minor Bad Trait) Crack Shot (Minor Good Trait) Obligation (Major Bad Trait) Tough (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 42 Story Points: 12

Skills: Craft 4, Fighting 2, Knowledge 2, Science 2, Technology 2, Transport 2 Traits: Attractive (Minor Good Trait) Clumsy (Minor Bad Trait) Dogsbody (Minor Bad Trait) Favorite Tool (Minor Good Trait) Technically Adept (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 31 Unspent Character Points: 11 Story Points: 12

244

Appendix

Gumshoe Hard-boiled, cynical and wisecracking, this is the downat-heel private detective in the tradition of Sam Spade and Mike Hammer, a tough guy often ready to fall for the first dame through the door. In the Pulps, the gumshoe could be your best friend, or your worst enemy. Most of the time he’s broke, with nothing to his name but the name on the door of his rented office, a half-empty bottle of cheap bourbon in his desk drawer, a filing cabinet with the details of the case that got away, a loaded .38 in his pocket and a rep for getting the job done. The gumshoe’s life is hard and often grimy, but it’s never boring. While the Pulps did feature examples of rogue private eyes who’d branched out into blackmail, theft and even murder, by far the majority were bound by a deeply ingrained sense of justice and a personal code of honor. A private detective with his own business will need to find suitable office space and advertise. On the other hand, he can also set his own fees. The private detective’s relationship with the local police may be one of mutual respect or complete antipathy. A private detective must usually have a license. It gives the private detective the right to advertise and to charge for Investigations; otherwise he has the same powers as any private citizen. Quote: “I woke up feeling lousy, mostly because I’d gone to bed sober.” Awareness:

4

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

4

Presence:

3

Resolve:

4

Strength:

3

Skills: Convince 3, Fighting 3, Knowledge 2, Marksman 3, Subterfuge 3, Transport 3 Traits: Breaking & Entering (Major Good Trait) Code of Conduct (Minor Bad Trait)

Jungle King The Jungle King (or Queen) is a native of Western civilization who – due to bizarre and unfortunate circumstance - was raised by animals in an isolated wilderness and has attained a peak of physical perfection. Jungle Kings often possess enhanced senses and the ability to communicate with animals. They use their heightened abilities to protect their “kingdom” from intrusion and exploitation by the outside world. Their adventures often bring them into the civilized world, where their rough and ready nobility highlights the hypocrisy and shifting morality of modern life. Quote: “N’gawa!”

Emotional Complication (Minor Bad Trait)

Awareness:

5

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

3

Face in the Crowd (Minor Good Trait)

Presence:

3

Resolve:

4

Strength:

5

Favorite Gun (Minor Good Trait) Friends in the Underworld (Minor Good Trait) Impoverished (Minor Bad Trait) Insatiable Curiosity (Minor Bad Trait) Tough (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 40 Unspent Character Points: 2 Story Points: 12

Skills: Animal Handling 3, Athletics 3, Fighting 3, Subterfuge 3, Survival 3 Traits: Animal Friendship (Minor Good Trait)

A

Animal Lover (Minor Bad Trait) Fast Runner (Minor Bad Trait) Keen Senses (Major Good Trait) Maverick (Minor Bad Trait) Pet (Minor Good Trait) Strange Visitor (Minor Bad Trait) Total Character Points: 39 Unspent Character Points: 3 Story Points: 12 245

Pulp Fantastic

Law Enforcer

Mob Moll

The law enforcer knows there is only one real truth; where you have people, you have crime. And where you have crime, you have people dedicated to upholding the law and punishing the guilty. Without the law, society breaks down, and the law enforcer isn’t about the let that happen.

Working in partnership with the gangster, the mob moll is his right-hand woman. Providing brains, guidance, support and a safe place to stay, the mob moll is frequently a good woman who’s simply fallen in love with the wrong man. More often though, she is a hardened thrill-seeker; a tough-minded, glamorous dame who gives as good as she gets. Some mob molls act as spies for their men, while others are the real power behind the throne, secretly running a criminal empire while maintaining a facade of innocence.

The law enforcer could be a uniformed beat cop, a plainclothes detective or even a junior FBI agent. Regardless of the branch of law enforcement, it’s his job to stop crime and catch bad guys. While he’s dedicated to the ideals of justice, he follows the Law, even when the two come into conflict. The law enforcer has access to official resources and powers that the ordinary citizen does not, but these come with responsibilities and obligations. While the law enforcer can makes arrests, search premises and even use force when necessary, all these things must be done right and with just cause, or the higher authorities will come down on the law enforcer hard. Law enforcers are often calloused and cynical from a lifetime of seeing people at their worst, but in the Pulp Era the best of them retain their faith in the essential decency of people. Quote: “Son, you’re already in a mess o’trouble. Put down the gun and don’t make it worse.”

Awareness:

3

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

4

Presence:

5

Resolve:

4

Strength:

3

Skills: Convince 3, Fighting 2, Knowledge 2, Marksman 3, Subterfuge 3, Transport 2 Traits: Adversary (Major Bad Trait) Attractive (Minor Good Trait) Crack Shot (Minor Good Trait) Dark Secret (Minor Bad Trait)

Awareness:

4

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

4

Minions (Major Good Trait)

Presence:

3

Resolve:

4

Strength:

4

Selfish (Minor Bad Trait)

Skills: Athletics 2, Convince 3, Fighting 3, Marksman 3, Subterfuge 3, Transport 2 Traits: Authority (Minor Good Trait) By the Book (Minor Bad Trait) Code of Conduct (Minor Good Trait) Friends in Law Enforcement (Minor Good Trait) Obligation (Minor Bad Trait) Voice of Authority (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 32 Unspent Character Points: 10 Story Points: 12

246

Quote: “Fill ‘em full of lead, boys!”

Total Character Points: 37 Unspent Character Points: 5 Story Points: 12

Appendix

Martial Artist The martial artist hails from the mysterious eastern realm known as Asia (see Mystic East for more details on the Asian continent), and is a student of one or more martial arts disciplines. To the martial artist, these disciplines represent more than self-defense and combat expertise. The training includes a profound philosophy that teaches restraint and humility. Martial artists work to master their mind as well as their body, attuning both to work in harmony through the techniques they have learned. Martial artists might develop their combat skills and philosophy to aid a career as an agent or a law enforcer, or might become an independent operative whose entire person is a weapon. No matter what career they choose to pursue, martial artists possesses confidence, commitment, and the means to get the job done. Quote: “If you know your enemy, but not yourself, you will always be defeated.” Awareness:

5

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

3

Presence:

3

Resolve:

4

Strength:

4

Skills: Athletics 3, Fighting 3, Marksman 2, Subterfuge 3

“normal” men who use their abilities at stealth and disguise to terrify the cowardly and superstitious criminals that they face, giving them a superhuman edge over their much more numerous opponents. Crime in the Pulp Era was often brutal, and brutal methods were sometimes necessary to fight it. A vigilante who deals with criminals too powerful or strange for the police, the masked avenger is a weird figure who uses terror, darkness and (usually) blazing twin .45’s to deliver justice and hot lead to the guilty. While a predecessor of the super-hero, the masked avenger’s costume usually consists of a dark suit, a trench coat or cape, a fedora and a domino mask or concealing bandana, though more outlandish and garish costumes have been known. Due to their lethal methods, masked avengers were often as persecuted by the police as they were hated by the underworld, hence the need for a secret identity. Masked avengers often faced gangsters and mad scientists, but their investigations frequently led them into conflict with stranger and darker adversaries, such as vampires, ghouls and black magicians. While most masked avengers used theatrical tricks and special effects to terrify their opponents, some used psychic gifts and mesmerism to achieve their aims.

Fresh Meat (Minor Bad Trait)

While some masked avengers are motivated by tragedy, the majority are simply trying to do the right thing. Many are wealthy young men (very rarely women) who have decided to put their natural gifts and extensive resources to the service of justice – as opposed to the Law. The masked avenger is a staple of the Pulp genre. Examples include the Shadow, the Spider and the Black Bat.

Indomitable (Major Good Trait)

Quote: “Crime does not pay!” blam! blam! blam!

Traits: Adversary (Minor Bad Trait) Code of Conduct (Minor Bad Trait) Enlightened (Special Good Trait)

Martial Artist (Major Good Trait)

Awareness:

4

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

4

Quick Reflexes (Minor Good Trait)

Presence:

4

Resolve:

5

Strength:

3

Tough (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 38 Unspent Character Points: 4 Story Points: 12

Masked Avenger The laughter lilted softly through the wet, dark alley. “Crusher” Kreel had run into a dead end, and had just realized it. He drew his gun, more out of fear than out of any desire to use it. The quiet voice of Smoke filled the darkness and the alley. It was a voice filled with menace. “Those guns are useless, Kreel. You know that you can’t shoot Smoke.” Kreel fell to his knees and dropped his gun as the laughter again filled the alley. The weed of crime bears bitter fruit, and the masked avenger intends to ensure it tastes very bitter indeed. While some characters thrive on their Reputation, on being known, the masked avenger thrives on being unknown. His weapons are rumor and superstition, his cloak secrecy. The masked avenger represents those

Skills: Athletics 3, Fighting 3, Knowledge 3, Marksman 3, Subterfuge 3, Technology 2, Transport 2 Traits: Adversary (Major Bad Trait) Breaking & Entering (Major Good Trait) Cloud Men’s Minds (Major Good Trait) Code of Conduct (Minor Bad Trait)

A

Crack Shot (Minor Good Trait) Dark Secret (Major Bad Trait) Insatiable Curiosity (Minor Bad Trait) Maverick (Minor Bad Trait) Obsession (Minor Bad Treat) Psychic (Special Good Trait) Wealthy (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 42 Story Points: 12 247

Pulp Fantastic

Mystic

Mystery Man

To the mystic there is no such thing as magic, there are only occult sciences and technologies of the mind that man has yet to master. The mystic has delved deep in areas shrouded in darkness and ignorance, be they the secrets of lost Atlantis, ancient Tibetan meditations, the true power of mathematics, the power of the Chi, or the correct pronunciation and power of a handful of the true names of God. The weight of this knowledge separates mystics from their fellow man, and they keep their secrets close.

Grant could never get used to the view from up on top of his building…looking out over the city, his city, he could almost fool himself into thinking that it was clean…

Mystics tread the fine line between scholar and scientist, with the occult and the unknown as their specialty. Many mystics operate as “ghost breakers”, using their genuine arcane skills to uncover frauds and hoaxes. Others such as Thomas Carnacki, Anton Zarnak and Jules De Grandin, use a blend of arcane science and psychic mastery to overcome genuine intrusions of the unknown into the everyday world. Some mystics operate as supernatural detectives, using their special gifts to solve both mundane and arcane mysteries. Quote: “The aetheric vibrations are very strong. There’s been a manifestation here.” Awareness:

4

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

4

Presence:

3

Resolve:

5

Strength:

3

Skills: Convince 3, Knowledge 4, Science 3, Subterfuge 3 Traits: Adversary (Major Bad Trait)

The Mystery Man wears a (very often brightly colored) costume. Unlike the Masked Avenger, he prefers to use his fists rather than hot lead to dispense justice. He is the prototype of the superhero, and his costume is as much a uniform to him as is a policeman’s. While most Masked Avengers avoid the limelight, the Mystery Man embraces the attention, using it as a tool in his campaign against crime. Public awareness and support can often be as valuable as the fear of criminals. Quote: “Stand back, I’m here to help.” Awareness:

4

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

4

Presence:

3

Resolve:

4

Strength:

4

Skills: Athletics 3, Fighting 4, Medicine 2, Subterfuge 3 Traits:

Clairvoyance (Special Good Trait)

Adversary (Minor Bad Trait)

Code of Conduct (Minor Bad Trait)

Brave (Minor Good Trait)

Eccentric (Minor Bad Trait)

Code of Conduct (Minor Bad Trait)

Enlightened (Special Good Trait)

Dark Secret (Major Bad Trait)

Good Samaritan (Minor Bad Trait)

Dependents (Minor Bad Trait)

Hypnosis (Minor Good Trait)

Fast Healing (Major Good Trait)

Insatiable Curiosity (Minor Bad Trait)

Obsession (Minor Bad Trait)

Psychic (Special Good Trait)

Quick Reflexes (Minor Good Trait)

Psychic Training (Minor Good Trait)

Tough (Minor Good Trait)

Telepathy (Special Good Trait)

Total Character Points: 33

Total Character Points: 36

Unspent Character Points: 9

Unspent Character Points: 6

Story Points: 12

Story Points: 12

248

Somewhere between the Masked Avenger and the yet to emerge super-hero is the Mystery Man (and Mystery Woman). From out of the shadowed back alleys, and the rain slick rooftops, comes the Mystery Man. Unlike the Masked Avenger, who prefers to remain in the shadows and have his existence known only to the criminals he haunts, the Mystery Man understands how publicity and public knowledge can be important tools in the battle against crime.

Appendix

News Hound The news hound is an agent of a major newspaper. He is a high-caliber journalist and regards his calling as more of a religion than a job. He sees it as his duty to locate a story and report it to the people, as long as his editors believe it will sell papers. The people have a right to know, and the news hound is the one to tell them. The news hound goes where the story is, wherever that story make take them. News hounds sometimes travel with camera crews and other groups, but those are rare. There are far more undercover journalists, writers, and news hounds traveling around behind the scenes than anyone knows. Not all of these actually work for news services. Some are researching articles, books, and other publications. In the end, though, journalists are all good at one thing and one thing in particular - digging for secrets. To find out what they need to know, they will often do or say anything at all. They do have their own level of integrity, however. In pursuing their knowledge, all good news hounds instinctively obey the following rules: Verify the Facts: Journalists never report information as truth without verifying them first. Something that is unverified is merely ‘alleged.’ If two or more independent sources corroborate a piece of data, that is enough to consider it a fact. A news hound who fails to obey this rule receives a -2 penalty on all future Convince checks against people familiar with them. • Protect the Source: Good news hounds never reveal the source of their information. A news hound who gives up his source quickly receives a reputation as untrustworthy and finds it much harder to get anyone to turn over information. A news hound who does not live up to this restriction suffers a -2 penalty to all Knowledge checks from people who recognize them. • Remain Impartial: A good journalist always avoids making judgments about what he learns, even if he is an eyewitness to events. The news hound’s job is to present the news or information strictly as it exists, without any attempt to analyze it. If a news hound resorts to judging the news or telling others what to think, he tends to make others angry and upset. He receives a -2 penalty to all Convince checks from anyone who knows the news hound’s identity. Quote: “I need to phone my editor. Pulitzer, here I come!”

Awareness:

4

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

3

Presence:

3

Resolve:

3

Strength:

3

Skills: Convince 3, Craft 3, Knowledge 3, Subterfuge 3 Traits: Breaking & Entering (Major Good Trait) Code of Conduct (Minor Bad Trait) Empathic (Minor Good Trait) Face in the Crowd (Minor Good Trait) Friends in the Press (Minor Good Trait) Insatiable Curiosity (Minor Bad Trait) Obligation (Minor Bad Trait) Owes Favor (Minor Bad Trait) Total Character Points: 32 Unspent Character Points: 10 Story Points: 12

•

A

249

Pulp Fantastic

Operator

Personality

Only three living people in America knew that the secret city existed underneath of Washington D.C., and even fewer knew as completely as Jimmy what secrets were inside of it…

The Personality is in the public’s eye by day. A movie star, radio star (or both!), a high-profile community leader or politician, or maybe even a world-famous novelist—all these and more fit into the Personality advanced class. Personalities are recognizable, have some amount of fame and a following, and often have the reputation and wealth (or illusion thereof) to go along with the spotlight. Personalities might simply be famous because of who they are, or may have earned her status by what they’ve done. A personality could be an entertainer, a celebrity, a dilettante, a politician, or the bored offspring of one of these public personalities.

Spies and Special Agents have long been a staple of Pulp Fiction, and The Operator is the cream of the crop, the best that his country has to offer. An Operator is the type of secret agent who tends to tackle, and beat, foreign (sometimes very foreign) invasions of the shores of his or her country, usually single-handed. A government will often only have one person who has been elevated to the rank of being an Operator (on rare occasions two) per branch of Intelligence or Espionage organizations. Operators are as rare as they are deadly. Quote: “History may be moving pretty quickly these days, but I know which side I’m on.” Awareness:

4

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

4

Presence:

4

Resolve:

4

Strength:

3

Skills: Athletics 2, Convince 2, Fighting 3, Knowledge 2, Marksman 3, Subterfuge 3, Survival 1, Transport 2 Traits: Adversary (Major Bad Trait) Authority (Minor Good Trait) Breaking & Entering (Major Good Trait) Charming (Minor Good Trait) Crack Shot (Minor Good Trait) Hot Shot (Minor Good Trait) Obligation (Major Bad Trait) Tough (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 42 Story Points: 12

250

Quote: “Daaarling! How simply delightful to see you!” Awareness:

4

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

4

Presence:

4

Resolve:

4

Strength:

4

Skills: Convince 3, Knowledge 2, Marksman 1, Technology 1, Transport 3 Traits: Attractive (Minor Good Trait) Charming (Minor Good Trait) Code of Conduct – Etiquette (Minor Bad Trait) Dark Secret (Minor Bad Trait) Friends in Society (Minor Good Trait) Hot Shot (Minor Good Trait) Maverick (Minor Bad Trait) Wealthy (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 36 Unspent Character Points: 6 Story Points: 12

Appendix

Relic Hunter We made our way through the tunnels at a run. I could hear footsteps behind us, but with the echoes and dripping water, it was impossible to tell how close they were. Suddenly, a light at the end of the tunnel. At the exit, a long stone ladder leading down… way down. I hate heights. -- from the journals of malcolm gideon Part archeologist, part researcher, part adventurer, the relic hunter explores ancient and unknown ruins, seeking treasures from the past, either in the form of ancient artifacts or forgotten wisdom. Relic hunters may be motivated by a desire for personal fortune and glory, or by an altruistic desire for what they find to expand the boundaries of knowledge and be available for all to see. Relic hunters, while tough and independent, also work well in teams. They’re specialists, and recognize the need for expertise in other areas. They’re often found in company with explorers, big game hunters and air aces. The villainous relic hunter is another Pulp Era staple. In this character the desire for knowledge has become an obsession, eroding their morals and humanity as they fight to be the first to obtain some secret treasure. These individuals are often little more than tomb robbers, holding little respect for the cultures they encounter and caring nothing for the furthering of human understanding. As such, they’re often found in the company of mercenaries, Femmes Fatale, Evil Masterminds and Nazis. Quote: “We are simply passing through history. This... this is history!” Awareness:

4

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

4

Presence:

3

Resolve:

4

Strength:

4

Skills: Animal Handling 1, Athletics 2, Convince 1, Fighting 2, Knowledge 4, Marksman 2, Medicine 1, Science 2, Subterfuge 1, Survival 1, Transport 1 Traits: Adversary (Minor Bad Trait) Code of Conduct (Minor Bad Trait) Friends in Low Places (Minor Good Trait) Insatiable Curiosity (Minor Bad Trait) Linguist (Minor Good Trait) Lucky (Minor Good Trait) Obsession (Minor Bad Trait) Quick Reflexes (Major Good Trait) Tough (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 42 Story Points: 12

Rocket Man While the air ace personifies the spirit of flight, the rocket man (or woman) is flight. It takes a very special sort of bravery to strap a small bomb to your back, but it takes a particular kind of lunacy to activate it and turn yourself into a human missile. Rocket men have nerves of steel, lightning reflexes and an almost total disregard for their personal safety. They have a love of speed, thrills and the kind of daring that makes normal people question their sanity. While many rocket men create their flight packs, most are not scientists. Instead they are test pilots, stunt men or even simply hapless bystanders who happen to be in the right place at the right time. These rocket men tend to come with a grease monkey or scientist friend who maintains the device and keeps it operating at peak efficiency (often with the aid of strategically placed chewing gum). Quote: “Ignition on and....rockets away!” Awareness:

4

Coordination:

5

Ingenuity:

4

Presence:

3

Resolve:

4

Strength:

3

A

Skills: Athletics 3, Fighting 2, Marksman 1, Science 1, Technology 1, Transport 3 Traits: Code of Conduct (Minor Bad Trait) Impulsive (Minor Bad Trait) Quick Reflexes (Major Good Trait) Weird Tech – Rocket Pack (Major Good Trait) Total Character Points: 36 Unspent Character Points: 6 Story Points: 12 251

Pulp Fantastic

Science Hero

Scientist

The science hero is the living personification of the Pulp Era’s faith in the power of science and technology to improve life. In many ways, they are the future made flesh; humanity perfected and improved by science. Science heroes are tougher, stronger, faster or smarter than normal people, though rarely all of the above. They tend to be a jack-of-all-trades with a broad range of skills and interests.

The scientist character excels at scientific theory and knowledge, and has the ability to apply it in the field to solve problems and discover the truth of any situation. In the Pulp Era, the scientist is the prophet of the coming age. His is the vision that will shape the would of the future, and bring that world into the present. More than any other character, the scientist is driven by curiosity, by the need to know. Though he values his time in the laboratory, the true scientist knows that he needs to be out in the field, gathering data, observing phenomena and testing hypotheses.

While science heroes are often scientists themselves, this isn’t always true. Sometimes they are simply enhanced by science, while not understanding the process themselves. Science heroes like Doc Savage were the predecessor to the modern superhero; paragons of physical and mental perfection who dedicated themselves to improving the lot of humanity. Some science heroes were created by accident. Micheal Traile, nemesis of the diabolical Dr Yen Sin, gained his ability to go without sleep due to a bungled brain operation and had to use periods of meditation in order to rest. Quote: “The superior man does right for all, and wrong to no one.” Awareness:

4

Coordination:

4

Ingenuity:

5

Presence:

4

Resolve:

3

Strength:

4

Skills: Athletics 3, Convince 2, Fighting 2, Knowledge 3, Marksman 2, Subterfuge 3, Technology 2, Transport 2 Traits: Adversary (Major Bad Trait) Code of Conduct (Minor Bad Trait) Distinctive (Minor Bad Trait) Good Samaritan (Minor Bad Trait) Linguist (Minor Good Trait) Resourceful Pockets (Minor Good Trait) Technically Adept (Minor Good Trait) Tough (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 42 Story Points: 12

252

An adventurous archaeologist who’s comfortable raiding dank tombs and dodging ancient traps fits this category. So does an oceanographer willing to dive into the water and swim with the sharks, a meteorologist who chases tornadoes, a military mission specialist with a scientific background, a criminal psychologist who studies crime scenes, and a zoologist eager to hunt crocodiles and handle poisonous reptiles. Quote: “Huh. That’s odd. I wonder if...” Awareness:

4

Coordination:

2

Ingenuity:

5

Presence:

3

Resolve:

4

Strength:

2

Skills: Craft 2, Knowledge 3, Medicine 1, Science 4, Technology 3, Transport 2 Traits: Friends in Science (Minor Good Trait) Insatiable Curiosity (Minor Bad Trait) Resourceful Pockets (Minor Good Trait) Super Amalgamated (Minor Good Trait) Technically Adept (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 38 Unspent Character Points: 4 Story Points: 12

Appendix

Sea Dog

Soldier

The sea dog is a hard-drinking, hard-living, two-fisted sailing man who finds his path to adventure on the high seas. Usually, the sea dog is the captain of his own rickety, run-down boat, in which he runs cargo – both legal and illicit - for a living. Often the sea dog doesn’t actually own the boat and must answer to the owners, or perhaps he’s just deep in hock and must stay ahead of his creditors in the hope of making one big score to pay them off. Regardless, the sea dog is a tough customer with his own sense of honor, and a good man to have at your back in a tight spot. He has friends all over the world (and enemies too), and can usually be relied on to find a safe harbor almost anywhere on Earth.

The Soldier is a trained warrior, as good with a gun as he is with a knife or some other melee weapon. The Soldier might be a dedicated idealist or a profit-seeking mercenary, a recent veteran of the Great War, a hired gun or a highly skilled adventurer. In all cases, the Soldier learns how to defeat his enemies, to complete his missions, and ultimately, to survive.

Quote: “Gimme a storm! Smooth seas make lazy sailors.” Awareness:

4

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

3

Presence:

3

Resolve:

4

Strength:

3

Skills: Fighting 3, Craft 3, Knowledge 3, Survival 2, Technology 2, Transport 3 Traits: Code of Conduct (Minor Good Trait) Friends in Low Places (Minor Good Trait) Keen Senses (Minor Good Trait) Maverick (Minor Bad Trait) Minions (Major Good Trait) Owes Favor (Minor Bad Trait) Sense of Direction (Minor Good Trait) Tough (Minor Good Trait) Voice of Authority (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 42 Story Points: 12

Mercenary characters fight on behalf of their employer for as long as they are being paid. Mercenaries frequently find themselves dispatched to hot spots for duties their employer would rather not be associated with directly. Mercenaries may work covertly for governments, corporations or private individuals. The soldier character is a well-rounded combat expert, combining both melee and ranged weapon expertise. Quote: “A well-trained soldier can beat anything, except a superior officer.” Awareness:

4

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

3

Presence:

3

Resolve:

4

Strength:

4

Skills: Athletics 2, Fighting 3, Marksman 3, Medicine 1, Subterfuge 2, Survival 3, Technology 1, Transport 2 Traits: Brave (Minor Good Trait) Favorite Weapon (Minor Good Trait) Friends in the Military (Minor Good Trait) Owes Favor (Minor Bad Trait) Sense of Direction (Minor Good Trait) Tough (Minor Good Trait) Total Character Points: 42 Story Points: 12

A

253

Pulp Fantastic

Weird Inventor Like the scientist and the grease monkey, the Weird Inventor is technically and scientifically skilled. Unlike both, weird inventors are also inspired in a way that seemingly allows them to see beyond the realms of the possible, forming theories and crafting devices that apparently defy the laws of science as they are currently understood. Also known as the mad scientist or evil genius, the weird inventor is a staple of the Pulps. Passionate, driven and obsessive, they are also often jealous, irrational, vengeful and arrogant, prone to grandiose plans and even more grandiose speeches. While the science hero represents the potential of science for good, the weird inventor represents its antithesis - science without conscience. Not all weird inventors are evil, but even those that aren’t are eccentric in some way, as if the bright flame of genius they carry within them can’t exist in a completely normal mind. Quote: “They laughed at my theories, and they laughed at me! I’ll show them! I’ll show them all! hahahahahahahahaha!” Awareness:

2

Coordination:

3

Ingenuity:

5

Presence:

2

Resolve:

4

Strength:

2

Skills: Convince 3, Craft 4, Knowledge 3, Science 5, Technology 3 Traits: Gadgeteer (Major Good Trait) Eccentric (Major Bad Trait) Insatiable Curiosity (Minor Bad Trait) Maverick (Minor Bad Trait) Obsession (Major Bad Trait) Technically Adept (Minor Good Trait) Weird Tech (Major Good Trait) Total Character Points: 36 Unspent Character Points: 6 Story Points: 12

254

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Appearance:

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