A Pulp Alley Sunday

[Jonas]

So yesterday I woke up and after getting some coffee I checked my email and among a long list of junkmail I found a cry for help from a fellow gamer. It was Dr. The Viking, from Dr. The Viking's Miniature Games Hell, asking if I had the evening free to playtest some Pulp Alley with him.

Apparently he is going to Sweden next weekend to showcase some retro sci-fi/space cowboy stuff and so we had to test if everything would work out and if he had all he needed.

I snapped a few photos of the game and even though everything was not painted I decided to post it anyway.

The set-up included some Skeleton Robot Cowboys shooting it out against Mixed Posse of Space Teddy Bears, ZZ Top Scrunts and other Heroes! Both sides race to the center of the settlement to get access to the Astro Bank and the sweet plot point inside.


Pistol Pete gets knocked back by Speedy the Space Teddy.
Fighting over a minor plot point.


Dueling it out across the main square of Galactic Gulch City.


A quick overview of the set-up.


The bank vault is breached and the Mad Banker emerges to take vengeance.


Too late, the Mad Banker is too late to save his loot.

The game was great fun and had some great plot twist during the game. We had 4 minor plot points and the bank vault was a major plot point worth double points.

Each time a plot point was taken a random encounter was also revealed in the shape of different Space Monsters and when the major plot point (the bank vault) was taken we decided that a kind of Boss was needed and the Wild Wild West mechanical spider was just perfect. it was something I had lying around in my lead (plastic) pile and as such it was not painted or coverted up for the task, but I hope Dr. The Viking will give it a good treatment before the actual game.

During the game the Skeleton Robot Cowboys was constantly in the lead, having the most plot points and always one step ahead. But by tactically saving my fortune cards for use in the right moments I managed to win the game in the very last turn.

The leader of the Robots was accumulating plot points, since he was losing gang members and one by one had to pick up the other gang members plot points. In the end the Robot leader was holding 3 plot points, including the major plot point. This giving the Robots 4 points in total (the major plot point counting as 2) and the Mixed Posse only had 2 points.

By playing a fortune card I managed to prolong the game an extra turn, thus taking down the robot leader in turn 7. Then taking over the major plot point right away by playing a second fortune card as the Robot leader was knocked down.

The game was now taken over by the Mixed Posse, but with a huge Infiltrator Bug threatening my leader it was still possible for me to lose the 2 plot points he held and the Robots was threatening my Side Kick, who was holding my 3rd point. So it was possible to make this a draw just before curtain fall.

Luckily I had saved just the right fortune card for this situation and when the final Robot Cowboy tried to take down my Side Kick I revealed my fortune card and got myself a free dodge out of the way. At that point the Robots could no longer win or make it a draw.

Skeleton Robot Cowboys: 0 points
Mixed Heroic Posse: 4 points

[d phipps]

How exciting! Loved the wild setting and great story! 

THANKS for sharing.

[Katsuhiko JiNNai]

A really fine board for a nice battle report, when I saw the robot cowboy it remind me about thunder stick from Bravestarr sci-fi/western cartoon

[Jonas]

Thanks guys.

By the way. If this thread should have been in Future Wars catagory a Mod is welcome to move it there.

[Dr. The Viking]

Haha!

Yeah, this was good fun. Down to the last die! 

[d phipps]

Quite a dramatic twist at the end. Very enjoyable. 

[Wolf Girl]

Great battle report! 

Have fun in Sweden, Dr The Viking. 

[cheetor]

I am a big fan of Plot Points that generate wandering monster.  Even if if the Monsters are simply mobile (or immobile) Peril generators, they still increase the entertainment value pretty significantly.

Thats a cool report.  I really should paint my set of those old robot cowboys, they are brilliant, like something straight out of Samurai Jack.

[d phipps]

I am a big fan of Plot Points that generate wandering monster.  Even if if the Monsters are simply mobile (or immobile) Peril generators, they still increase the entertainment value pretty significantly.

Indeed! 

[Dr. The Viking]

I am a big fan of Plot Points that generate wandering monster.  Even if if the Monsters are simply mobile (or immobile) Peril generators, they still increase the entertainment value pretty significantly.

Thats a cool report.  I really should paint my set of those old robot cowboys, they are brilliant, like something straight out of Samurai Jack.

I used them as real monsters that attacked the nearest enemy.

They all only had d6* health though but were allowed larger dice for attacking. So sort of glass cannons.

[Commander Roj]

I was wondering about whether Pulp Alley would work for a space western setting, so good to see this today. Thanks to this and Meeples & Miniatures I am going to have to get a full rule set soon. Just a shame there isn't more 1930's stuff available in 15mm. Fortunately there is so much Sci-Fi.

[Malebolgia]

Terrific battle report and really inspiring stuff.

[Jonas]

Thanks guys. Sorry about my absence from answering posts here, I have been kind of busy with "real life" lately.

But good to see Dr. The Viking step in, it was his game after all 

I plan to try and run some games with Pulp Alley too in the future. The system seem to work out great for story driven skirmish.

[Traveler Man]

Cool set-up and game report! 

[Wolf Girl]

I used them as real monsters that attacked the nearest enemy.

They all only had d6* health though but were allowed larger dice for attacking. So sort of glass cannons.

Yup, that's a good idea. Dad always tries that when I'm playing my Pulp Girl league.