Pulp Alley in the Thirty Years War?

[DonVoss]

I am planning to run a game of pulp alley in the TYW. All of us at the club like the rules and they function really well...
But I am unsure about shooting. I could get the hollywood way and play it as in the original rules, but it feels not too good to shoot a matchlock pistol like a smith&wesson....

Some of the minis don't have guns at all and to give all of them the animal trait limits the colourfullness of the league.
So anyone played in the prirate age or like that before? Any suggstions welcome....

Here is the first league I am planning to use:

Gustav Klingenkreuz and his troope of mercenaries, his sidekick Caspar Braun (in cuirass armour), his mercenaries and Hanelore the camplady ...





Cheers,
Don

[rumacara]

I dont know about Pulp Alley but have you tried the Ganesha games Flashing Steel?
They seem to be nice for that period.

[d phipps]

Thanks for playing Pulp Alley. We're glad you all are having fun. 

Black Powder Pulp Alley? Oh yes! Lots of fun.

In our Pulp Leagues book, we provide a bunch of optional rules for playing Pulp Alley in different periods/settings/genres. So, you might try something like this....

Setting: Single-Shot -- Each character capable of shooting or placing a Burst begins the scenario with one Loaded counter. To shoot or place a Burst, a character must remove a Loaded counter. A character may reload as an action to gain one Loaded counter. A character may not normally have more than one Loaded counter at a time.

... and if you give the Pistolier kit to a character, then you can have more than one Loaded counter but you can't shoot over 12". 


HAVE FUN

[M.P.]

I'd also add some eastern european flavor like - ARCHER -  character may shoot as per the standard rules, except that target gets +2 bonus in Health checks when wounded.

[NurgleHH]

I love Pulp Allez, but I think Donny Brook is better for that period. Even for Pulp. But I look forward to your AAR.

[gary42]

I find Pulp Alley can play pretty much any genre except those big battalion, historical simulation games.  I really enjoy a little cinematic storyline in my games.  I also like the fact that you can try another genre without breaking the bank.  If my buddy said he wanted to try "Thirty Years Alley" I could pretty easily be convinced to buy a half dozen minis to use.

2 cents uploaded...

[FramFramson]

I think that if you want a scrupulously accurate representation of TYW-era warfare or skirmishes, you can find rules which are set up to accommodate this better.

However, if you simply want the whiz-bang feel of Pulp Alley where a band of heroes go have adventures, only in a different setting, PA is more than able to handle a reasonable simulation of swashbuckling 16th-17th century warfare with a few rules tweaks.

It really comes down to what kind of game you're looking for.

[warrenpeace]

Pulp Alley mechanics would be fine, with some adjustments for lower firepower and more brawling. However, I'd recommend buying some other source books for the period so that you can ruthlessly loot them for ideas. Among the useful ones:

1. GURPS Swashbucklers - big 128 page softcover or 133 page PDF available from Steve Jackson Games. I've never played GURPS, but I found a used copy of an early edition of GURPS Swashbucklers at a local game shop for almost no money. It's my favorite book to read for ideas for Three Musketeers or pirate gaming, a veritable gold mine for background and suggested character abilities:

http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/Swashbucklers/

2. Savage Worlds Pirates of the Spanish Main - big 256 page hardcover or PDF from Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Savage Worlds is a light RPG that works well as a miniatures game. Somehow most miniatures players have overlooked this game, and only the RPG people seem to know about it. One thing it has in common with Pulp Alley is the use of various die sizes. This is my second favorite source book for Three Musketeers or pirate gaming:

https://www.peginc.com/store/pirates-of-the-spanish-main-2/

3. Gloire - available in softcover or PDF from Rattrap Productions, along with a free download of Gloire demo rules. Unlike the big RPG source books above, Gloire is mostly a rulebook, with nowhere near as much historical background. However, there's some good ideas for special character talents. A decade ago .45 Adventure was the rule set most written about in the Pulp section here on LAF, and Gloire is a descendant of .45 Adventure. Since the PDF download is cheaper than a pack of 5 or 6 good miniatures, it's worth buying just to use for scenarios and ideas for character abilities, even if the intent is to use Pulp Alley:

http://www.rattrapproductions.com/product-category/rattrap-miniature-rules/gloire/

Because all these source and rule books relate to RPG or Pulp type games, character abilities and special talents could be translated into Pulp Alley. Also, the historical background and scenario ideas would support Pulp Alley scenarios or campaigns.

[DonVoss]

Thanx for all the help.
We managed a game yesterday and it was a blast....

One of my mates had the new book with the period add ons with him, so we just made two Leagues from scratch and had a go.
Sorry, no pics.

The game was really fun. Less shooting ment of course more CC and more manouvering wich we enjoyed...

Ill keep you informed of more pulp games in the HYW...

Cheers,
Don

[AWu]

Splendid warband..

[blacksoilbill]

They look fantastic! All interesting characters in their own right, which is just what you want.