Perilous areas on a "bland" PA board?

[FramFramson]

I suppose it's not as pulpy to not be playing on exotic terrain, but sometimes your game scenario (or scenery restrictions) dictates a rather bland setting - a small sleepy town, farmer's fields in the countryside, etc.

In places such as those, where the terrain is less lethal than say, a dank jungle or volcanic caldera, what are some good ideas for perilous areas?

[grant]

Maybe the farmer's field has unexplored munitions, or an old WW1 tunnel shaft. Maybe there's a swarm of angry bees.

[Mr. Peabody]

Bees. Definitely bees.

In fact we used this just this morning...

Local red-necks would be a good choice, too.

[d phipps]

Maybe the farmer's field has unexplored munitions, or an old WW1 tunnel shaft. Maybe there's a swarm of angry bees.

OOh, I like the angry bees!  


First, I think it's okay if the table doesn't have a bunch of perilous areas every game. But here are a few other ideas...


Animals can make an area perilous, a fenced in area with cattle or pigs... or a bull.

Watch-dogs would certainly make an area perilous.

Climbing a building is frequently perilous, so putting plot point on top of a barn of house when it make sense.

Leaping across rooftops is perilous.

A farmer with a pitchfork or other bystanders may make areas perilous.



HAVE FUN

[Vanvlak]

Town:
damaged buildings, with flooring which could collapse at the wrong step
faulty wiring, pressing a switch could leave you dead (note - found a less lethal - luckily! - version when we bought the old house we live in)
town secret - a monster chained up in a shed
mob with torches - a character has a striking resemblance to one Dr Frankenstein, and the rest of the band must be his cronies...
sinkhole, hidden well, and the rest of the nasty stuff Grant listed.
hidden alien base
Dr Moreau's summer residence (as per League of Extraordinary Gentlemen #2)

If it's a town by the sea, the possibilities multiply tenfold  
slippery path, pointed rocks, whirlpool, smugglers' cave, cave with rising water level, dangerous mud flats, fishmen, half-sunk boats,cranes (you can do anything with a crane!), two cranes (TinTin...?)

Fields:
crop circles with a hidden meaning
a scarecrow which is more than it appears to be
more hidden wells etc.
aeroplane crash wreckage
gangsters' bag of (loot, jewels, blackmail photos) thrown out of a car during a chase and hidden in a cornfield, undergrowth etc.
meteorite crater - containing.....
minefield
sentient tractor guarding automation genius' lair entrance

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

On a farm, I reckon the outhouse could be a perilous area?

[Etranger]

A moonshine still, either as a plot point or as a perilous area. A school friend of mine managed to blow himself up with the still that he built in his Boarding House cupboard ....

[FramFramson]

Some great ideas here folks! Thanks!

I think it's okay if the table doesn't have a bunch of perilous areas every game. But here are a few other ideas...

I agree completely. It's just that our first game was sort of light on perilous areas so there was barely any interaction with them.

My plans for game #2 had lots of perilous areas, but doing some of the scenery up will take a while, so that's getting pushed back to #3, in favour of running a more basic game and sooner. That way I can introduce more folks around here to the game. The new #2 will just be in some countryside.

[d phipps]

On a farm, I reckon the outhouse could be a perilous area?

YIKES! Now that's perilous!     

[FramFramson]

I actually did that for a joke in our first game (go and see the AAR!). But it's such a small point on the board everyone avoided it without even thinking about it. 

Clearly the answer is to put a plot point inside! 

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

I actually did that for a joke in our first game (go and see the AAR!). But it's such a small point on the board everyone avoided it without even thinking about it. 

Clearly the answer is to put a plot point inside! 

Now you've got me worried what the plot point might be?!!!!! 

[Big Martin Back]

A dung heap.

[krimso]

Played my first Pulp Alley game over the weekend and the board was essentially fields with a house in the middle.  We were thinking the same thing, "how can we make terrain like this perilous?"

Thanks for all of the great ideas guys.   

[magokiron]

In my own games, ALL STREETS are perilous areas, EXCEPT at "zebra walkways", because the roads are full with speeding cars (difficult to represent on a tabletop game, but imagine them), but the zebra crossing are designed to be safe.

Here are other ideas for urban (even in a sleepy town) perilous areas:

Angry old woman with a prize garden

Water leak "slippery floor"

A delivery truck with spilled goods

Gangster or gang territory

Childrens playground (football or baseball match in progress, risk a tackle or a ball hit, or the kids asking your character to settle a rules dispute)

Irregular ground

street bazaar or garage sale

Loose electric wire

MEN WORKING - street repair, house builders, municipal gardeners, any powertool area

Hope that help.

[Jocke]

Great inspirations here... Thank you all...