Pulp Genre Question - How important is technical accuracy?

[rjandron]

Hi,

I'm designing a Pulp setting, and I wanted to ask just how important is technical accuracy to you as players? If I have a pre-WWII setting, will it turn pulp fans off if there are late-war technological advances in there?

Basically, I want to be able to have units using Panzerfausts and MP-38s in 1933. As a WWII hardware grognard myself, I know that it would definitely make me notice that the setting's a bit anachronistic. What do you think?

[fastolfrus]

If you're designing a pulp setting, why use panzerfausts and MP38s ?

Why not opt for a pulp weapon - either the sinister experiments of Doktor X or the free world devices of Prof America ?

That wouldn't limit you to technical possibilities either.
How about rocketmen with ray guns ?

[rjandron]

If you're designing a pulp setting, why use panzerfausts and MP38s ?

Why not opt for a pulp weapon - either the sinister experiments of Doktor X or the free world devices of Prof America ?

That wouldn't limit you to technical possibilities either.
How about rocketmen with ray guns ?

'Cause I want to have Nazis as bad guys...   

Perhaps I should have been a bit clearer in my question. While pulp-sf weapons are planned for the setting, I'd like to know if including Nazis using slightly anachronistic weaponry (e.g. the aforementioned Panzerfausts and MP-38s) would turn off pulp fans or if they would accept it and enjoy the setting regardless.

[Hammers]

Weird, isn't it, to have gamers who are quite enthusiastic about gaming a colonial dino hunt scenario but get really snippy if one of the models carry a Bren gun.  We are such complex and interesting people... 

[Hauptgefreiter]

Well, wouldn't matter to me, as long as you tell a great story 

[Adey]

Thats' very philosophical Hammers. The what if element of any pulp gaming is surely its essence.

[carlos marighela]

Weird, isn't it, to have gamers who are quite enthusiastic about gaming a colonial dino hunt scenario but get really snippy if one of the models carry a Bren gun.  We are such complex and interesting people... 

It's called the suspension of disbelief. Hollywood and its audience face similar conundrums.  Inside everyone of us there's a little bloke in an anorak with a clipboard and adenoids wanting to get out.

Similar parallels in terms of props and costume design. In the 1950s or sixties a  movie was like as not, going to feature M48 Pattons as Tiger Tanks or a silver painted plastic frisbee on a string as a spaceship. Today's tastes tend to dicatate that some passing nod to period be accomodated. And in this day and age pretty much any taste in miniatures you care to name is catered for by one manufacturer or another.

To me the thing that would makes something distinctively 'Nazi' would be the coalscuttle helmets and maybe an armband here and there. Bob Murch does some with suitably 1930s submachine guns, why not use them? Why have panzerfausts when you can have massive great anti-tank rifles or ray guns? Gives more of a period  flavour and a nod to the original  genre.

Bottom line is of course a matter of 'your toys, your taste'. Creativity is the only real limit

[flooglestreet]

Besides 30's era SMGs, you could use purloined american bazookas, provided you don't call them bazookas. Goddard designed the original rocket launcher at the end of WW1.

[P_Clapham]

I think you pretty much nailed it there.  

For me in the Pulp Genre technical accuracy pretty much goes out the window.  Hollow Earths, Antartic Space Nazis, Criminal Masterminds and Extra-Dimensional Horrors.  Granted there are grittier and more realistic Pulp settings such as Mysteries and Detective Fiction.  I'd go for whatever you'd like to for your game.  It can be as simple as Advanced Prototypes, or even an Alternate History.  My only rule when it comes to the Pulps is that are Fast and Fun.

If you're designing a pulp setting, why use panzerfausts and MP38s ?

Why not opt for a pulp weapon - either the sinister experiments of Doktor X or the free world devices of Prof America ?

That wouldn't limit you to technical possibilities either.
How about rocketmen with ray guns ?

[Doomhippie]

I didn't have problems with the Indiana Jones movies and they are anything but historically accurate. So go ahead with MP 38 and the good old Panzerfaeuste.

[Plynkes]

If you're designing a pulp setting, why use panzerfausts and MP38s ?

Why not opt for a pulp weapon - either the sinister experiments of Doktor X or the free world devices of Prof America ?

That wouldn't limit you to technical possibilities either.
How about rocketmen with ray guns ?

This whole line of thinking is what totally spoils the VSF, Weird War Two, and all other "fantasy historical" genres for me. An army list mentally seems to have developed where folks want every single unit in every force to consist of "weird" things. If I'm playing a Pulpish weird war game I don't want legions of Walker robots fighting squadrons of zombie rocketmen. For me the weird shit should be exceptional and unusual even within the game world. If not then the whole thing loses the wonder. When the exceptional becomes everyday, then it ceases to be interesting. I want my games to be grounded in something close to the real world, where strange, wonderful and terrifying things exist, but they are very, very far from being commonplace. Put wargamers in charge and Indy would have retrieved the Ark of the Covenant by leading an assault of Scout Walkers and Rocket Rangers against a power-armoured division of SS werewolves on the moon. That might be some people's idea of fun, but it ain't mine.

I want the cool stuff to be rare, in the hands of the baddies, and very experimental (and the good guys overcome it by being brave and resourceful, not because they have laser guns, giant robots and druids on their side). The Nazis shouldn't have legions of magic-users, just maybe one high-priest with a strange artifact it has taken them years to find and figure out how to use. Otherwise to me it would feel like I was playing Warhammer, and once it does that, then I'd rather play actual Warhammer.


That's why I like Bren Guns and Bergmans, and why they should always have a place. You don't have to get every tiny thing right, but it should feel right. But that's just me.

[Dr X]

Like my dear old Grandpa X used to tell me, "historical realities are a puddle of mud the Pulp Genre easily sidesteps".

But then again, he WAS a loon.   

[Mainly28s]

I'd say that, if it's a PULP setting, I wouldn't worry too much. I totally agree with the idea of using just a few weird bits, but keeping the overall "feel" right.
As Doomhippie says, The Indiana Jones movies are a perfect example of "getting the feel right"...

[Bulldog]

rjandron, you must ask yourself one and only one question. 

1) Will it be fun for you and the players? If so, then use them, that's all that matters.   

Personally, I say use whatever makes your heart happy.  If we want to get all serious and scientificy (yes, "scientificy" is a real word), there are inifinite parallel worlds.  Therefore, anything goes!  Throw in your submachine guns and panzerfaust weapons.  Throw in ray guns, unspeakable horrors, sinister sorcerey and dancing moon apes from Archipelego VI.  Whatever makes your game good and you happy is what matters. 

[warrenss2]

as long as you tell a great story - That's the crux of pulp. Spin a good yarn! Fast paced nonstop action! Good triumphant over Evil!

Who the h#ll cares about technical accurately?