The Mayor of Birmingham's Fundraiser, a Pulp Alley AAR

[NickNascati]

All,
     So I decided to try something different with Pulp Alley.  The non-violent action of the Social Affair scenario.  Sticking with the Peaky Blinders world that my son in law and I are currently playing with, I decided on the following back story -

    Mayor Higgenbottom is running for re-election against a popular Labor challenger. He had decided to through a fund raiser and invite assorted notables to the event.  Both Tom Shelby of the Peakys and Billy Kimber have gotten wind of it, and managed to get invitations for themselves and a couple of associates.  In attendance and acting as minor plot points, are Mae Carelton, beautiful and wealthy horse trainer, Sister Mary Angela, mistress of the home for Wayward Girls, a famous Adventuress, and finally the owner of the Derby racetrack himself.  In the center of all, holding court, was the Mayor.  I played the Kimber mob, while my son in law played the Peakys.
    Based on the predeliction of all for alcohol, I decided that the three bar stations would be perilous areas, and extreme perils for Tom's brother Arthur.  There were assorted party goers roaming about, as well as a few Constables just in case.  The scenario stated that the plot points moved randomly at the end of each turn unless they had been won.
    In the end, quick thinking by Kimber won the game.  He secured the blessings of the Mayor for new concessions around town, the Adventuress wanted to write an adventure novel about him, and Mae Carlton would now be training his horses. The Peakys only lost one of their crew to the perils of demon rum, but were otherwise unable to out roll Kimber.
    The game was different and entertaining, but only lasted about 30 minutes.  As often as we have played PA, I still feel like we are doing something wrong with perils and challenges that is affecting the length of the games.

                                                                                                                  Nick

note - If you are not familiar with the world of the Peaky Blinders, do yourself a favor and watch the first two seasons on Netflix.  Basically, it is Boardwalk Empire in the UK.  It is set in post-WWI Birmingham and London primarily, and is rooted in fact, that being the real and violent Race Course Wars of the 1920s.

[mysteriousbill]

Horse Race Wars?

[NickNascati]

Yep, seriously.  There were gang wars over concession and betting rights. Got quite violent.

[marianas_gamer]

Nick,
Sounds like a winner to me and fun to play!
LB

[d phipps]

Really enjoyed watching this series. Hope they do more.

The game was different and entertaining, but only lasted about 30 minutes.  As often as we have played PA, I still feel like we are doing something wrong with perils and challenges that is affecting the length of the games.

Hmm... hard to say, Nick. Actually, there are a couple Vice Alley scenarios that can be played in about 30-minutes -- Social Affair and The Heist. It doesn't always work out that way, but it can. Do you have any questions about challenges/perils/plot points?

I find that "play styles" can also have a big impact on the length of the scenarios. Personally, I love romping through a scenario at a brisk pace and focusing on the game. Most of my Pulp Alley games are over within an hour. 

[NickNascati]

Dave,
         Peaky Blinders Season 3 should be coming soon from what I've heard.
         I think the problem is that neither of us are ever sure we are handling Perils and Challenges correctly.  Sometimes they seem to intrusive, and sometimes not intrusive enough.  Mind you though, we still have fun.  Glad to hear that some games are really meant to be quick.

[d phipps]

Dave,
         Peaky Blinders Season 3 should be coming soon from what I've heard.
         I think the problem is that neither of us are ever sure we are handling Perils and Challenges correctly.  Sometimes they seem to intrusive, and sometimes not intrusive enough.  Mind you though, we still have fun.  Glad to hear that some games are really meant to be quick.

That's cool. I'm looking forward to season 3.

Perils and challenges in general are intended to be fairly random. Sometimes, they are barely more than a bump in the road and other times they can be a major roadblock. 

The next time you're in Oklahoma, swing by my place and we'll play a game together. 

[NickNascati]

Dave,
         If I ever venture out that way, I will definitely take you up on your offer.

                                                                     Nick