Pulp Alley -- Playing Fortune Cards

[d phipps]

I recently had a question about when you can play a Fortune card. Unfortunately I was blocked from replying, so I'll share the answer here ---

At the top of each Fortune card, it indicates exactly when a card can be played.

For example, "Out of Ammo" is intended to be played as soon as the enemy activates (before they can move or do anything).

It is not uncommon for a player to say, "Well, I wasn't gonna shoot anyway." Maybe they weren't. And maybe they were. The point of this card is that you are removing the option entirely. 

That is how we intend these cards to be used. If your group agrees to play it differently, then please feel free to do so.


THANKS for the question. HAVE FUN!

[d phipps]

Thanks for the follow-up PM. Unfortunately, I still cannot PM you back.

In general, when someone asks why a certain card works the way it does in Pulp Alley the easiest answer is - "Based on several years and hundreds of games of playtesting, that is the way we thought it would work best." Specifically, we carefully test exactly when a card should be played so that it is fun, balanced, and has minimal potential for timing issues or other problems.

Your suggestion is a good one and we already tried it years ago, as well as other options. But we ultimately felt like the current version played the best.

Basically, "Out of Ammo" is intended to represent those moments in a story when a character reloads (not shooting). After one or two games, players usually get an even better idea of when to play certain cards.

Based on the suggested variant, if you choose to wait until...

1. The attack is declared and...
2. The reaction is declared and...
3. LOS is confirmed and...
4. Range is confirmed and...
5. Other combat modifiers are confirmed and...
6. Other Fortune cards are played and...
7. Players gather their dice and...
... then play "Out of Ammo". Yes, you may get a "priceless" look. But it may be because they are wondering why it took you so long to play the card...

Also, with this variant, how is the fightt resolved? They declared an attack and the defender declared a reaction, so what if the defender still wants to shoot? Can the attacker Dodge now, or is it an unopposed counter-attack, or is the fight just cancelled? And what about the other cards they played? What if they discarded cards to activate an ability or gain a bonus? Are all those cards wasted? What if they used a "Once per turn" ability? And so on...

Yes, using "Out of Ammo" at the last moment makes it a much more powerful card - perhaps too powerful. And it also has the potential to lead to confusing timing issues and could slow the game needlessly.

If the card is played as intended, the target is still going to be peeved if you played it well but at least they can still do other things (like rushing you to beat you over the head with their empty pistole!) - rather than wasting their activation getting ready for something you're just going to prevent at the last moment. I think "Out of Ammo" is still one of our favorite cards to draw.


Just because that's how we like it doesn't mean it is right for you. As always, I strongly encourage players to make whatever changes suit their own style of play. Pulp Alley is extremely flexible and will play quite well with houserules.  In fact, I know of at least one group of players who actually play "Out of Ammo" as you suggested. 

Lastly, don't be surprised if another card gets released with similar idea. We've been playtesting some new cards, and one of them works a lot like "Out of Ammo", but can be played later in a character's activation.

The only rule that really matters is HAVE FUN.