Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Pulp => Topic started by: Doug ex-em4 on January 15, 2011, 05:32:14 PM
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I don't know if Poirot and Marples count as Pulp - doubtless I'll be moved to tghe right place if they don't.
Anyway, I'm setting up a game with Poirot and Marples type investigators, aided by vicars, squires, local bobbies etc. Set in 1930s English village type of thing. It'll be a bit more rough than merely investigating - even Poirot may have to get his gloves dirty in a fight sometimes. In scale, it'll be closer to rpg than skirmish. I'm thinking at the moment of vampires, ghosts, zombies etc - goings-on under the local church; that kind of thing.
Any other ideas? Humans other "monsters" - the more the merrier.
Thanks
Doug
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I think some lovecraftian influence will not go unappreciated.
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Human
Grave robber/digger, psychotic post-mistress (very good at misdirection), smugglers (very Famous Five), an ancient but still malevolent Moriarty in the local retirement home (just because you're wrinkly doesn't mean you're nice), Cuckoo-children, circus freaks
Creatures
Metamorphs, The Beast of Midsomer, Were-budgies (in very strong cages), escaped circus animals
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Do you have figures in mind for Poirot and Marple?
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Artizan does very nice not-Marples and non-Poirot figures.
I'd got straight to cultists for opposition. Druidical or Lovecraftian, either works nicely. Stone circles at dawn or the offshore reef at midnight, that sort of thing.
Dastardly foreigners, possibly Red Russians looking to export the Revolution to England's shores.
There's a lovely scenario called "A Fete Worse Than Death" in TVAG's "Astounding Adventures! #2" scenario book. A couple of cults, various detectives, some Reds, random townspersons (some of whom might also be cultists), a movie production company... I haven't ever run it, but it sounds like awesomely inspired mayhem.
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Nazis. Any scenario is better with Nazis.
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Pigmy Headhunters smuggled into Blighty by a colonial governor who live secretly on his estate.
Consider this for inspiration... http://wk.frothersunite.com/sc/pulp/Pulpsc.htm (http://wk.frothersunite.com/sc/pulp/Pulpsc.htm)
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Do you have figures in mind for Poirot and Marple?
Yes - I've got last year's free figures from Partizan of Poirot and Marples (not yet painted);
(http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/CannonOlympus01/1930s/IMG_2567.jpg)
(http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/CannonOlympus01/1930s/IMG_2566.jpg)
(http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h69/CannonOlympus01/1930s/IMG_2574.jpg)
in fact it's because I've got the figs that I thought of doing the game.
SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION - in the pre-war Church of England, would it be likely that a curate would take over the duties of a vicar if the vicar was unable to function through illness, injury etc? I'm thinking of a situation where the vicar, who is a jolly good chap, has to let his new curate run things for a while and the curate turns out to somewhat more than he appears to be - and not in a good way. Is the premise reasonable?
Anyone clued up on church hierarchy out there?
Doug
Some good ideas submitted - I'm enthused :D :D :D
Doug
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I agree about Moriarty. You could also try the Rasputin mad monk type. Fu Manchu can serve as a suitable pulp villain anytime. Of course, a mad scientist is always welcome (for this era, I'd suggest an assistant of Nikola Tesla). You might need a female evil mastermind: no pulp scenario is complete without one.
As for your church related question, I'm sorry but I have no clue... ???
A.
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How about some cult worshipping morrismen? Gripping Beast have morris men in their woodbine range.
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All of the above. Nazis, in order to foil Bolshies, release some circus animals. Meanwhile, Cthulhu-cultists have forced the Vicar to flee the village in order to recover somewhere by the sea (!) and installed the curate (who's really a Deep One) in his place. Their rituals have sent the kids of the village mad, and ghouls have taken up residence in the crypt while the church isn't being run properly (no proper burials going on). The village, meanwhile, has been picked by Fu Manchu as a quiet place to unload his heroin shipment, and has enlisted a mad assistant of Nicolai Tesla to help, with his strange machines.
The investigators turn up, however, because in a fit of drug-induced paranoia, Lord Particularly-Twittish has been murdered by his secret lover who is in fact a friend of Bertie Wooster.
Something like anyway.
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How about some cult worshipping morrismen? Gripping Beast have morris men in their woodbine range.
Excellent - particularly as I have that set, I bought it at Warfare 2009 when it was released but I haven't painted them. I think to do them justice may be beyond my mediocre painting skills.
Red Orc - I love it. I think my Nazis will be homegrown, Wodehouse style.
Doug
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I don't play '20s-'30s gaming at the moment, but have played CoC in the past, love Jeeves and Wooster, I'm fascinated by the VBCW setting, and I grew up with Cluedo/Clue, as most of us did, so mushing it all together into a mad 'Professor Plum versus the Nazis of Kadath Parva' setting seems quite appropriate. I will be using the Cluedo cast as my 'team' when I do get round to doing something with this.
I have to admit that the 'Operation: Fallen Reich' website (http://www.fallen.se/the-story/page/668/100-million-scenarios) has been a big inspiration for my approach - 'Can Evil be Stopped in Time for Tea?' and 'Like the X-Files set in WWII with Mulder and Scully replaced by Jeeves and Wooster' are great taglines I think. There's a great scenario generator on there (just change their necromantic nomenclature for something more campaign appropriate), and there's also a list of '20s-'30s wars for British Chaps to have been involved in. I think it's a great little site, even though I don't plan on playing the game!
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Yep a curate would and did deputise for the Vicar, some may have more than one parish so it was/is not particulalry uncommon.
Other encounters, cultists- think the wicker man, or order of the Golden Dawn that sort of thing, hell fire club-sinister version, terrorists-anarchists
etc
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Other encounters, cultists- think the wicker man, or order of the Golden Dawn that sort of thing, hell fire club-sinister version.
etc
Just what I was about to type when my dear friend Lowtardog pipped me to it.
Witchcraft ala Aleistier Crowley/The Golden Dawn, summoning up Old Nic himself.
Try reading "The Devil rides out" or watch the Hammer film version. The Duc De Richleau battles satanists in 1930s middle England.
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Got to have them fighting evil cultists... they are everywhere! :D
Darkoath
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SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION - in the pre-war Church of England, would it be likely that a curate would take over the duties of a vicar if the vicar was unable to function through illness, injury etc? I'm thinking of a situation where the vicar, who is a jolly good chap, has to let his new curate run things for a while and the curate turns out to somewhat more than he appears to be - and not in a good way. Is the premise reasonable?
Anyone clued up on church hierarchy out there?
Doug
Hi Doug
The curate would have had to be there for a while. For the first year of a person's curacy out of theology college, they are/were ordained deacon which meant that they would not be able to:-
a) "preside at communion" (do the "glass, bottle, bottle glass" bit with the bread and wine)
b) marry people
c) baptise people
After a year (if they got a good report from teh training vicar) they would be ordained priest.
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The curate would have had to be there for a while.
If the curate in Doug's scenario is a Deep One, odds are he's been there "a while". lol
Also, +1 to Red Orc's "all of the above" comment a few comments upthread. Throw them ALL into the mix, stir well, and stand well back!
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I'm thinking 'Stepford Wives' and 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'. The thought of pod conversions already makes me snigger. :)
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"Throw them ALL into the mix, stir well, and stand well back!"
Sound advice and I think I may chuck in some IRA for good measure.
I'm going to start off with the local Squire asking his old wartime friend, Captain Hastings, if he can persuade that funny little Belgian chappie that he knows to pop over to Much Rampling and look into a rather disturbing murder that has the local police baffled....
Doug
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I'm going to start off with the local Squire asking his old wartime friend, Captain Hastings, if he can persuade that funny little Belgian chappie that he knows to pop over to Much Rampling and look into a rather disturbing murder that has the local police baffled....
Doug
A perfect start :)
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I second 6milphil's smuggled Pygmies- only they are disguised as choirboys and cubscouts! :D
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Hi Doug
The curate would have had to be there for a while. For the first year of a person's curacy out of theology college, they are/were ordained deacon which meant that they would not be able to:-
a) "preside at communion" (do the "glass, bottle, bottle glass" bit with the bread and wine)
b) marry people
c) baptise people
After a year (if they got a good report from teh training vicar) they would be ordained priest.
That's interesting (note to self - don't get led off into interesting side roads..!); thanks for the info.
When you say "after a year............they would be ordained priest" am I right in thinking that they are still a curate? In other words, being ordained priest is not synonymous with being a vicar.
I know that this is not a question likely to trouble too many players but I'm interested to know and the more accurate a characters background, the easier it is to represent him.
Doug