Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Future Wars => Topic started by: cheetor on April 08, 2014, 04:11:03 PM
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An old gaming buddy spent a big chunk of last weekend in the man-cave playing a three game Pulp Alley campaign with me. It was exceptionally good fun.
We have been searching for a streamlined, non-fiddly skirmish scale tabletop ruleset that involves some decent decision making and remains fun to play for quite some time. Based in part on accounts and reports by Maj Guiscard (http://govgensectorsix.blogspot.com/) and Dentatus (http://stalker7.wordpress.com/) I decided to give Pulp Alley a go. We were absolutely blown away by the PA ruleset. All further tabletop skirmish rulesets will have to measure up against Pulp Alley as far as we are concerned.
(http://sho3box.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/ragnarocka17.jpg)
(http://sho3box.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/ragnarocka05.jpg)
(http://sho3box.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/ragnarocka03.jpg)
(http://sho3box.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/ragnarocka07.jpg)
The Ragna Rock campaign that we played was a linked series of three games, each game being one of the basic scenarios in the book. Our games were set in our own slightly skewed version of the 40K universe, because despite what has happened to it over the years, we are still fond of it, especially with an old school angle.
(http://sho3box.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/ragnarockaa2.jpg)
(http://sho3box.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/ragnarockaa1.jpg)
The blog post on part one is HERE (http://sho3box.wordpress.com/2014/04/08/pulp-alley-inquisitor-the-ragna-rock-pt-1/)with a little more info on the game and a few more photos. Parts 2 and 3 will be serialised over the next few days and I will post here if there is interest.
If you have any questions or comments or criticisms then fire ahead :)
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Love it! Makes me want to paint my lead pile of old RT figs every time I see yours all done up. :)
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Haven't clicked the link to your blog yet, but so far the minis and scenery looks TERRIFIC!
I really liked the orks, and the space bar, and... :-*
Clicking the link right now, and waiting for the next installements.
Thanks for sharing.
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A very fun looking game. I laughed at the plot point in the minefield.
Happy to see that Pulp Alley fits the bill for your Inq needs. I play it for Pulp all the time and am just thinking about returning to an Inquisitor project that's been on the backburner.
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Got me to drop $20 on Pulp Alley and the Expansion. They should give you a commission! :D
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Very cool, I'm designing a little 40K band with Pulp Alley in mind as well. You beat me to it :)
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Very nicely done. I noticed your colorful jungle in the background on those pics.
I can't wait for part 2.
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Yeah, Pulp Alley is fantastic, my group just started playing it after I heard a few glowing recommendations on this forum as well.
Your stuff looks great, BTW. I really dig your painting style, its so nice to see good looking amries face off on top of a good looking table with good looking terrain!
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Love it! Makes me want to paint my lead pile of old RT figs every time I see yours all done up. :)
Thanks very much Achilles. I will happily paint them if you want to give them to me ;)
Haven't clicked the link to your blog yet, but so far the minis and scenery looks TERRIFIC!
I really liked the orks, and the space bar, and... :-*
Clicking the link right now, and waiting for the next installements.
Thanks. The second installment should be ready over the next day or two, with the third and final scenario posted by early next week at a guess.
A very fun looking game. I laughed at the plot point in the minefield.
That was due to my opponent PB pushing the envelope a bit, checking exactly how difficult he could make it. He isnt in a rush to do it again :)
Happy to see that Pulp Alley fits the bill for your Inq needs. I play it for Pulp all the time and am just thinking about returning to an Inquisitor project that's been on the backburner.
40K is a pulp setting. Pulp Alley is ideal for representing those sort of stories and precisely generic enough to feel exactly like it should, while still playing fast and in an involving way. Im probably in the honeymoon stage at the moment as I feel like gushing about it, but it really is the closest that I have found to the sort of game that my group and I want.
Is your Inquisitor project in 28mm or 54mm?
Got me to drop $20 on Pulp Alley and the Expansion. They should give you a commission! :D
Im just an enthusiastic fan rather than a shill or anything. When the books are that cheap I wouldnt really expect a handout anyway. I am pleased to see another purchase though as that makes the production of more PA material more likely.
Very cool, I'm designing a little 40K band with Pulp Alley in mind as well. You beat me to it :)
I am certain that whatever you come up with will be worth the wait Dr M. Can you give a hint of the sort of types that might be included in it, or is it shrouded in LPL secrecy?
Very nicely done. I noticed your colorful jungle in the background on those pics.
A simple but fun bit of foreshadowing on my part Maj. One of the goals of that gaming session was to give my new jungle terrain set a run out, so it was shown encroaching on the shanty town in the first game.
Yeah, Pulp Alley is fantastic, my group just started playing it after I heard a few glowing recommendations on this forum as well.
Your stuff looks great, BTW. I really dig your painting style, its so nice to see good looking amries face off on top of a good looking table with good looking terrain!
Thank you Rhelyk. My painting has a sort of gaudy, cartoony quality I think, which tends to suit this sort of subject matter better than something historical for example. I dont paint anything other than pulpy sci-fi really: Im a card carrying member of the Star Wars generation in that respect ;)
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:o :o
Stunning, mate, just stunning!
:-* :-*
That bar is amazing.
Consider that idea well and truly nicked.
8) :D 8)
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Thanks very much Achilles. I will happily paint them if you want to give them to me ;)
Nah, but I may steal your checklist. ;)
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I am certain that whatever you come up with will be worth the wait Dr M. Can you give a hint of the sort of types that might be included in it, or is it shrouded in LPL secrecy?
I'm not sure it will make it into an LPL entry (although I have only planned through round 4 :o), but I've done some conversions and acquired the figures for an 'Order Pronatus' group, basically an order of the Sororitas that re-acquire, collect and maintain relics. The leader is sort of a Sister of Battle Indiana Jones :)
I have to say all your RT goodness is helping prod me... I have a bunch of stuff for an alien forest now too ;)
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Is your Inquisitor project in 28mm or 54mm?
28mm, so I've enjoyed the inspiration from your other threads on here.
Looking at your report again, I agree that one of the strengths of the rules is that you get to use all sorts of non-combatants.
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Stunning, mate, just stunning!
Thanks Mason. The bar isnt much more than a box shape around a countersunk Grendel Cyber Bar set really. Im not really one for reinventing the wheel if I can avoid it :)
I'm not sure it will make it into an LPL entry (although I have only planned through round 4 :o)
Although entering the LPL for a sense of camaraderie rather than any notion of victory has long appealed, even reading that sentence stresses me out. Im not cut out for that particular brand of pressure. Good luck with the remaining six :o ;)
but I've done some conversions and acquired the figures for an 'Order Pronatus' group, basically an order of the Sororitas that re-acquire, collect and maintain relics. The leader is sort of a Sister of Battle Indiana Jones :)
I see, some sort of Relic Hunter you could say... *cough* ;)
That sounds like a great idea for a league. I have the plans and models for a anti-daemon type of skirmish force, with nunjas, priests and Sororitas types. I even have their acronym name worked out (G.U.I.L.T.), but they are bit far down the list at the moment. More aliens to do first.
Are you using the old RT sisters for your league? Or will you be adding other models too?
I have to say all your RT goodness is helping prod me... I have a bunch of stuff for an alien forest now too ;)
Having seen your tutorials on making Terran forests I will have to take solace in the fact that your alien forest will look more plausible than mine and therefore be a less accurate representation of the shabby Star Trek-esque source material ;) :D
I really cant wait to see what you come up with.
28mm, so I've enjoyed the inspiration from your other threads on here.
Cool. Its such an open ended yet rich vein for fun, bite-sized, heavily themed forces, we could all make them for years and never end up with a duplicate. I hope that you have some to show soon :)
Looking at your report again, I agree that one of the strengths of the rules is that you get to use all sorts of non-combatants.
Thats a great point actually. Pulp Alley-meets-Inquisitor gives purpose to all those weird cherubs, living dot matrix printer guys, and other weirdness that I have accumulated over the years. It also give proper game purpose to news reporters, shoe shine boys and other civilian models in a wider sense.
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Having identified the location of the stolen Imperial lander crash site in the first scenario, both sides have ended up in near the wreckage. Both sides are looking for survivors or clues as to possible survivors whereabouts but most importantly, they are hoping to locate the Ragna Rock.
(http://sho3box.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/ragnarockb15.jpg)
(http://sho3box.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/ragnarockb.jpg)
(http://sho3box.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/ragnarockb13.jpg)
The blog post is HERE (http://sho3box.wordpress.com/2014/04/09/pulp-alley-inquisitor-the-ragna-rock-pt-2/). Part three to follow over the next couple of days.
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Excellent!
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What a great report. That was loads of fun to read. The initiative system is really clever. We often play three player and it becomes even more interesting then.
Pulp Alley-meets-Inquisitor gives purpose to all those weird cherubs, living dot matrix printer guys, and other weirdness that I have accumulated over the years.
Which are the most fun figures, I reckon!
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Love the update! Looking forward to Game 3!
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That's it, Paul! You've sold me on the system. I'll come back for a proper read-through, but the reports look very good and the games looked exactly like what I'd like to play.
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Been reading through it and the Pulp Island (the weird expansion that's kinda mandatory) after I bought them based on this thread. Really happy I did! I like that it integrates things like gear/tech into abilities and dice level. No need for lots of fiddly extra bits to represent Power Armour or Stealth fields... just up the dice level or take the appropriate ability / perks.
Great stuff! Thanks again!
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Love the "Featheren" and Agent C!
Well told!
Agent C is Copplestone?
What are the Featheren?
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Thanks for the feedback folks.
What a great report. That was loads of fun to read. The initiative system is really clever. We often play three player and it becomes even more interesting then.
I find writing these reports hard, but if I dont try then I wont improve, so thanks for the encouragement.
I am very much looking forward to three and maybe four player PA games, just to see how the initiative system will make the game feel under those circumstances.
Which are the most fun figures, I reckon!
Its true. Every game features various guys with guns, but it good to bring the non-coms and the techno dark age sort of weirdness that features in the background of 40K illustrations to the tabletop.
That's it, Paul! You've sold me on the system. I'll come back for a proper read-through, but the reports look very good and the games looked exactly like what I'd like to play.
I hope that you enjoy it Mattias. It fits the niche that my group and I have been trying to fill for years now. No game can be everything to everyone of course, but this ruleset has beaten all others that we have tried over the last number of years by a long way. Even if I never play it again (barring calamity I certainly will play it again) I still got my moneys worth from the rulebooks by playing this three game campaign. Let me know how you get on with it.
Been reading through it and the Pulp Island (the weird expansion that's kinda mandatory) after I bought them based on this thread. Really happy I did! I like that it integrates things like gear/tech into abilities and dice level. No need for lots of fiddly extra bits to represent Power Armour or Stealth fields... just up the dice level or take the appropriate ability / perks.
The ability to add distinctions without getting bogged down in too many individual rules is important and tends to be a feature of the sorts of games that I enjoy. I prefer a more vague use of rules rather than a specific "this means rigid armour, this means a force field, this means ability-to-evade" approach.
I just want to paint the miniatures that I think look cool and then get them on the table for fun games with the minimum of fuss. To an extent I dont really want the equipment on the miniature to determine whether I paint for rules mechanics reasons, although I do want the rules to loosely reflect the sorts of equi,ment and abilities that I deem appropriate. Its a balancing act, but the PA writers seem to have a similar attitude to me.
Agent C is Copplestone?
Sculpted by Mark Copplestone I believe, but Shane Hoyle, its a Foundry miniature, one of Junos Crew (http://www.wargamesfoundry.com/our-ranges/street-violence/streets-collection-bcsv001/street-violence-junos-crew-sv016/).
(http://www.wargamesfoundry.com/files/cache/bf876186dcc676f36d62850f32113abf_f6372.png)
What are the Featheren?
The "Feathren" (a term coined by my opponent that stuck a while back. I like it. If cold planets can be called "Frigia" and hot planets "Crematoria" then avians can happily be called "Feathren" I think :)
The beaked guys are Avians from CP Models (http://www.cpmodelsminiatures.co.uk/CP%20MODELS%2028MM%20SCI-FI%20-%20ALIENS.htm).
(http://sho3box.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/aviangroup.jpg?w=468&h=255)
Avians blog post (http://sho3box.wordpress.com/2013/07/25/avian-aliens/).
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Loved the reports! This kind of backwater action is my favorite way of experiencing the 40K universe.
You have a great selection of miniatures and terrain, it's a real joy to look at the pictures.
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Beautiful terrain and great figures! Stunning work, Cheetor. :-* :-*
I just want to paint the miniatures that I think look cool and then get them on the table for fun games with the minimum of fuss. To an extent I dont really want the equipment on the miniature to determine whether I paint for rules mechanics reasons.
I agree 100%. Pulp Alley really was created for people who like to play. I know how silly that must seem, but I suspect there are some folks that know what I mean. ;)
What a great report. That was loads of fun to read. The initiative system is really clever. We often play three player and it becomes even more interesting then.
Personally I prefer 2 player games, but we tend to play a lot of 3-4 player games because there are more players around.
One funny thing about doing larger games is when you realize there aren't extra rules. The turn sequence and mechaincs of play remain the same, regardless of the number of players.
HAVE FUN
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Thanks for the feedback guys!
The final scenario from my recent Inquisitorial campaign via Pulp Alley is posted up HERE (http://sho3box.wordpress.com/2014/04/14/pulp-alley-inquisitor-the-ragna-rock-pt-3/). The final installment doesnt included any sex, or drugs, but its jam-packed with rock.
(http://sho3box.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/ragnarockcx.jpg)
(http://sho3box.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/ragnarockc03-e1397217492616.jpg?w=468)
(http://sho3box.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/ragnarockc08.jpg)
(http://sho3box.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/ragnarockc12.jpg)
We had a great time with the PA system in a Inquisitorial context. I thoroughly recommend it :)
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Just read pts 2 &3.
Great FUN!
In our own PULP ALLEY games, the story seem to create a "life" of its own, and we just can't stop devising the most HILARIOUS reasons for the effects of a given Fortune Card, wich only increases the fun level all around.
It seems like your group does something similar.
Thanks for sharing.
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He doesn't paper...
He doesn't scissor...
HE ROCKS!
(My 10 yr old thinks that is the most clever compliment ever.)
Good job.
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It seems like your group does something similar.
Yep :)
Space ork rockers notwithstanding, its not a deliberate intention to go out of our way to be goofy, more an appreciation of the various books, TV shows and movies that inspire these sorts of stories.
(My 10 yr old thinks that is the most clever compliment ever.)
My wifes 37 year old husband agrees ;)
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Great report and pics!
Sculpted by Mark Copplestone I believe, but a Foundry miniature, one of Junos Crew (http://www.wargamesfoundry.com/our-ranges/street-violence/streets-collection-bcsv001/street-violence-junos-crew-sv016/).
(http://www.wargamesfoundry.com/files/cache/bf876186dcc676f36d62850f32113abf_f6372.png)
The Foundry Street Violence packs were all by Shane Hoyle (who also did many of the Judge Dredd miniatures).
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The Foundry Street Violence packs were all by Shane Hoyle (who also did many of the Judge Dredd miniatures).
Of course they were, my mistake. Thanks for the catch :)