Pulp Genre Question - How important is technical accuracy?

[warrenpeace]

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?

Question in my mind is not whether or not this would be OK for a one off scenario, because one can always imagine an inventor working on prototype or experimental weapons many years before they go into military production.  The question for me is, why not use changes of uniform and weapons over time to help frame a series of encounters over the years?  Seems to me that the Pulp genre is partly about serial adventures in which a hero encounters the same villan or villans time and time again over the years.  One could imagine the hero at a young age, perhaps as a teenager, dealing with the chaos in Germany at the end of WW1, then dealing with corruption of various kinds in Weimar Germany, then tangling with the early Nazi movement, then later dealing with weird WW2.

[Poliorketes]

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.

Will this be your next project? Pleeeaase? 

[richarDISNEY]

To quote my Club's moto (at least one of them...)
"Not letting History get in the way of a good game!"

[former user]

this is really a good motto

Unfortunately, I experienced a lot of useless discussions about historical accuracy, many times.
Usually people do not realise how historicity is perceived - our feel about something being historical is always retrospective and shaped by the portrayal in movies. This is the reason why we think that "Indy" has got it. But the truth is very different from that. So when a movie is created, there is always a creativity connected that tries to balance things that people would accept as realistic and at the same time introducing new elements.
If You stick to this concept there is always room to reinvent the past. What could be more boring than simply photocopy known and accepted aspects?

take "sky captain" as an example: How stupid is the Idea that an army of gigantic robots has to steal generators from cities? Someone who is able to build such an army would hardly need to do that. It is all about the exaggerated show element. That is what makes PULP IMHO. Exaggeration.
So if You want an Army of Nazis toting Panzerfausts and Schmeissers, go ahead.
(here again, a good example for historical perception - Schmeisser was not involved in the design of MP38, yet everyone would know what the name stands for)

[Uncle Mike]

I know little about history but lots about pulp...anything I can't make up I'll check a history book about. I think 'pulp' means whatever you want...or whatever you have figures for...

[Scorpio]

take "sky captain" as an example: How stupid is the Idea that an army of gigantic robots has to steal generators from cities? Someone who is able to build such an army would hardly need to do that. It is all about the exaggerated show element. That is what makes PULP IMHO. Exaggeration.

Agreed. When you get right down to it, using that logic, gigantic robots aren't that great an idea, either.

Internal consistency is all you really need. And even that can go by the wayside if you have a good story for it. If you want accuracy, there's plenty of historical games available to use instead.

[meninobesta]

I tend to agree a little bit with what Plynkes have said!

for me there is a fine line between Pulp and Sci-Fi, and usually it's a matter of personal taste on where you draw it!

It's a little bit like Tolkien Fantasy and Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy... it's a matter of what you think, or like, what is common in a particular setting

I must admit that sometimes I like the whole concept of zombie panzer divisions, but sometimes just a little hint of supernatural is enough!

But even is historical games always look at Napoleon as small bloke like an hobbit, prussians always have monocles, the british guys are all red haired and have moustaches and among the celtic host there is always an Asterix and an Obelix!

[fastolfrus]

I wouldn't envisage a game with everyone as a rocketman armed with ray guns - I'd expect most grunts to have nothing more advanced than a bolt action rifle, or maybe a Thompson SMG for US types, and most leading characters to be armed with a simple pistol, probably pearl-handled Colts for US types, Webley on a halyard for Brits, and Lugers for sinister Germans, perhaps even a few broom-handled Mausers, or even a bullwhip.
Villains may well have something more exotic, swords, branding irons, crystal skulls/amulets, pet tigers or sharks, or a combination.
But a lot of pulp objectives/plotlines seem to focus around stealing the plans/blueprints/prototype of the fiendish new vehicle/weapon/genetically modified Llama etc, or testing the new thing, or destroying the new thing now we know it works. After all, the new super unit might be rocket troops with ray guns, but as prototypes (untested and untrained at first) there are certain to be plenty of chances for spectacular fumbles.