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Callos_DeTerran
2010-07-02, 07:34 PM
Before anyone reads too much farther, realize this is a d20 Modern thread and I hope no one sees the d20 modern part and shies away from the topic. I will openly state right now this is about fluff, tone, and things of that nature and has nothing to do with mechanics.

Recently I've been captivated about the idea of playing a game in the Pulp Heroes setting, set in the nebulous time after World War II. It's meant to be over-the-top, run on rule-of-cool for the most part, and try it's best to be a little-lighthearted but serious. It's a tall order, but then again the only part I'm really having trouble is...thinking up pulp themes and ideas. Nazis, pulp science, and two-fisted gun action are supposed to be major themes of this game.

So playgrounders, I turn to you all for some inspiration!

The big questions I'm looking at are...

What are some specifics scenarios that you'd like to play out in a pulp setting?
Do you have any suggestions on keeping Nazis interesting and exciting as villains but cliched as hell as well?
Know any good sources of pulp fiction to read/watch for inspiration? Bits of Indiana Jones, James Bond, and hard-boiled detective stories have been recommended to me, but what else?
Give a suggestion for a 'doomsday device'. Does it have to be realistic at all? Heck no.

Or any other advice or ideas you want to throw out, go right ahead!

Matthew
2010-07-02, 07:43 PM
Probably you are going to be better served setting this in a pre World War II , rather than post World War II era [Late 1940s to 1950s], as the Nazis are otherwise not really much of a force to be reckoned with (though, all sorts of secret Nazi enclaves could exist and make for entertaining antagonists). Part of the appeal of Nazi villains in this period is that they are yet to show their true colours, so have a veneer of legitimacy about them. The third party D20 resources [I]Forbidden Kingdoms and Thrilling Tales (they are related somehow in content, so do not bother hunting down both) contain some useful bits and pieces for running a D20 Pulp game.

[edit] Ah, Forbidden Kingdoms actually predates D20 Modern, and some of the concepts released as OGC were eventually used in the latter.

Corporate M
2010-07-02, 07:53 PM
Pulp Fiction was actually how d20 modern got started in Dragon Magizine. My irl friends always are comparing me to Mr.A... (Even though I'm far from a fan of objectivism and prefer Nietzsche both as a philosopher and as a person)


http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/Mr%20A%204.gif

It's a large image. But this would be great for a pulp fiction character. The Spirit on a soapbox!


Actually, Pulp Fiction d20 would be even better as Venture Bros d20. Which takes all the concepts of pulp fiction and plays it for laughs. Combining it with more modern superhero concepts, and having a ton of dark humor and super heroic beurocracy.

Ironically, "The Ubermensch" (which would probably be the name of my pulp fiction hero) would be seen as a villain. Partially because the nazis took a liking to Nietzsche, (even though Nietzsche was not a darwinist) and the fact the definition of an ubermensch is to be very alien from normal human morality. (Which could be intterputed as devoid of it, or "evil morality")

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BlueAndOrangeMorality