Sunday, January 9, 2011

Pulp Game

We actually managed to get together for a night of gaming before the end of the year and managed to fit in 3 games of pulp. We use a home-brew set of rules based mainly on the Game's Workshop Legends of the Old West (LoTW) game engine. These have been modified with things borrowed from other rules sets as well, including Rugged Adventures, Larger Than Life, Rugged Adventures, Where Heroes Dare, and even Gorka Morka and Necromunda.

The reason we have such a hodge-podge of things thrown together is we wanted a set of rules without a game master and with a campaign system. This allows all of us to play (great for me as I usually end up the game master!) and we can keep a story going, at least with reoccurring characters. The GW systems work well and we're familiar with them, having played scores of Gorka Morka and Necromunda games back in the day. The rules are fairly simple and play quickly; you can usually get a game finished in about 2 hours of less.

I apologize ahead of time for the picture quality. I was having troubles getting the settings right for the lighting and the focus. Photography is not one of my stronger skills!

Greg, Mikey and I were the three players for these games. We went with a simple every man for himself approach. My gang is Loyld's Ladds, a somewhat colonial British gang with a few hirelings. Mikey was using a gang of Adventurers, and Greg had his crime fighters: The Shadow and his henchmen. Hopefully they'll jump on and clarify a few things here and there.

The rolled for our first game and came up with a simple Explore mission. We decided to do a jungle board. Once set up, we put a number of random encounter markers out. Luckily we had a bunch of unusual things to represent these but eventually ran out and had to toss down a few blue pipe cleaner markers to show the rest. We'll have to add more markers for the future.

An overview of the first board. Greg will enter from the right, Mikey from the left, and my gang will enter from the bottom.


Mikey's adventurers enter into the deserted village. 


Loyld sends his bodyguard, Ahmed, to check out the strange skull deep in the jungle. This terrain piece still needs flocked; we were running out of markers so used it anyway.

Some of the lads scout out a trail in the jungle. The lichen represents the trails, with the areas behind the lichen were the trees are representing jungle. Movement and sight in the jungle is both slow and random!

The Shadow checks out the evil shrine.

Meanwhile, The Cape heads over to check out some strange idols in the jungle. 



Lolyd and Ahmed head deeper into the jungle following a map they found hidden in a crevice of the skull.

The rest of Loyld's Lads travel down the jungle path to yet another idol.


Dangerous Jane's  group splits up to check out the village. While two of their number investigate the huts the rest head toward a strange idol they spotted in the jungle.

Two of the Lads near one of the idols unaware that nearby is a village and Dangerous Jane's gang.

Meanwhile, the rest of Loyld's Lads investigate an evil looking pillar they find in the jungle.

Contact! Loyld's  gang runs into Dangerous Jane's gane in the jungle. Shots are exchanged but no one is hit.

At the same time some other members of Dangerous Jane's gang run into the Shadow's henchmen. More shots ring out  in the jungle.

A furious gun fight at close quarters ensues. 

While Bronstein grabs a valuable artifact from the marker the gun battle continues with Dangerous Jane's group. Loyld's Lads manage to drop on the Dangerous Jane's group. As she hunkers down from the gunfire she notices something odd in the underbrush (the blue pipe cleaner marker).


Dangerous Jane checks out the noise she heard in the underbrush. A crocodile leaps out, dropping her and dragging her off (the prone arab represents the crocodile as we couldn't find a figure for one- note to self: pick up a crocodile figure)!


The gun battle continues between the Shadow's henchmen  the Dangerous Jane's people. One of her henchmen finds a small golden relic but one of her companions is dropped by officer Murphy's shotgun.


Having dealt with Dangerous Jane's gang Loyl'd Lads head toward the sounds of gunfire they hear.

At this point both Greg and Mikey's gangs bugger out and run off with the treasures they have found and to prevent any more casualties.  So we set up the next board, a European settlement and rolled for the mission. The result was a meeting engagement. Here is the set-up for the next game:

The officers carefully head up the street deeper into town.

Meanwhile Loyl'd Lads start their movement into town. 

Dangerous Jane's gang approaches from the east.

Officer Murphy and another officer spot Loyld's Lads entering the town. They take up positions at a stoen wall and open fire.

The lads take cover behind the crates and return fire.

One the other side of town the rest of The Shadow's  gang spots Dangerous Jane's gang and take cover as they open fire.

 As the bullets fly Dangerous Jane's gang takes cover and returns fire.


The view the Lads have of Dangerous Jane's gang. While other members of their gang handle the officers they open fire on the easy prey, dropping a few.





Loyld, along with a few henchmen deal with the officers at the wall.  Gunfire from the rifle of one of the Lads and BAR fire from Crazy Charlie Wilson take out the officers. Loyld leads a few of his men into the center of the town. Charlie is crazy from an old head wound. He missed the last game recovering from the wounds but must check at the start of his turn or he looses it, babbling incoherently, firing his BAR randomly, or just drawing with chalk on a nearby wall!


Two of the Shadow's gang fire on the Jane's gang from the mill. The Shadow takes cover behind a wood fence and opens fire.

A few of the Lads enter the building in the center of town. Climbing to the second floor they find themselves with a perfect view of Jane's gang and open up on them, catching them ina crossfire!

Meanwhile Loyld prepares to enter the hotly contested house on the corner attempting to surprise The Cap and one of the officers within.


Hand to hand combat between Jane's gang and the Shadow's gang. One-Armed Ivan will be taken out with The Shadow driving off his assailant. 


Dangerous Jane ended up taking pretty heavy casualties and buggered out. The Shadow and Loyld slugged it out for a turn or two more then the Shadow retreated. This ended the second battle leaving Loyld once more the victor. Dangerous Jane's gang and The Shadow's Gang would try and get revenge in the third fight.