Post/Author/DateTime	Post
jonthegm 12-19-05, 12:01 PM	This weekend, I had the pleasure of watching Peter Jackson's 3 hour epic, King Kong. While the movie was flawed in some respects, the pulp elements infusing the core of this movie were pulled off superbly. So superbly, in fact, that every pulp GM should take some of Peter Jackson's lessons to heart. **Really Minor Spoilers Ahead** Over-the-top Action. The action has to be over-the-top. The PCs escaping an apatasaur stampede is good, but an apatasaur stampede through a narrow canyon that leads to a crumbling cliff, oh, and there are raptors chasing the apatasaurs is better. It's not just a little step further, it's a whole leap and a bound over the "ordinary" apatasaur stampede. Real danger. As a corollary to action sequences being over-the-top, pulp action scenes should have a real sense of danger to them. The PCs should feel that if they slip just a tiny bit, their character is headed to certain doom. Unfortunately, this may lead to a little bit of dice fudging as you try to keep the PCs alive long enough to view the next big action scene. What NPCs are for. Non-major-villian NPCs of any depth in pulp campaign exist solely to provide dialogue until their inevitable grisly death. Whether the PCs have to throw the suddenly traitorous guide off of a cliff, or an NPC suddenly sprouts a bad case of spear through his chest (Whoops! Spoiled Heart of Darkness for you!), NPCs should add to the sense danger discussed above. Those lucky dogs. The PCs should come out on top. Major PCs will never fall off of the cliff to their doom. They are always caught at the last minute by another PC, or fall to their supposed deaths only to be captured by the villian and kept alive for an eventual heroic rescue. When a major PC dies, they should be in the position to make a noble sacrifice, or at the very least make a dying speech. This is one of the more difficult aspects of Pulp GMing, as you need to balance the need for impressing the PCs that they are in Real Mortal Danger with this simple fact that no pulp hero ever dies to a random trap. Camp. Pulp without camp is just a soulless action movie that takes itself far too seriously. If you actually sit and think about the apatasaur stampede I mentioned earlier, it's actually a really silly thing to think about. Pulp adventure situations tend to be mildly absurd. You can't just chase a thief through the city, the chase has to occur at night, over the rooftops, after a recent rain, and during the annual fireworks festival. The key is to either get the players to buy into the camp, or to just not let them notice. Pacing. Pulp stories are not about intricate dialogue, or deft political maneuvering. Pulp dialogue is typically short and to the point; anything longer and more flowery is in danger of overloading the (already maxed out) camp. Don't roleplay shopping unless it's going to lead to an action sequence. Don't let the PCs spend all day talking to the king. Don't let traps be disabled without some sort of time pressure. The session should quickly move towards an action sequence after action sequence. Pulp thrives on the feeling of just barely getting to the goal, only to discover a new threat.
Lord_Butler 12-19-05, 01:29 PM	Great article! You were able to put into words what I've been attempting to explain to the players in my group for a month or so. Well done! Have a :cookie:
REN 12-19-05, 02:58 PM	WOW! I too am well impressed with your posting. It's exactly what I want my players to understand. I'm going to have them read this for sure... but only after seing the movie, of course!
bosssmiley 12-19-05, 03:16 PM	Good stuff Jonthegm. :clap: I always think of Eberron in terms of "Indiana Jones" movies myself, and you've managed to epitomize what's cool about them in less than a page. Mind if I take a copy and pin that to the inside of my DM's screen?
jonthegm 12-19-05, 03:46 PM	Good stuff Jonthegm. :clap: I always think of Eberron in terms of "Indiana Jones" movies myself, and you've managed to epitomize what's cool about them in less than a page. Mind if I take a copy and pin that to the inside of my DM's screen? You need permission to print a thread? I appreciate the sentiment, but my CC/by-nc-sa sensibilities are confused. :confused: Creative Commons FTW! :tiphat: (Oh, and of course you can keep a printout wherever you want! If you feel like sending cash money, that can also be arranged!)
Save-vs-DM 12-20-05, 03:36 AM	Very nicely done! :tiphat: I'd recommend posting this on Redgar's Repository Cheers, Save vs DM
Lord Zeb 12-23-05, 08:24 AM	I second the idea of putting it up on Redgars. Five Stars!
okaynowa 12-23-05, 11:07 AM	You can't just chase a thief through the city, the chase has to occur at night, over the rooftops, after a recent rain, and during the annual fireworks festival. That... would be awesome. 1) Balance, Climb, and Jump checks 2) Penalties for varying light conditions and surfaces 3) Dodge checks to avoid burnination ... that's the sort of scene the players will remember ever after (happily or no).
jonthegm 12-23-05, 11:34 AM	That... would be awesome. 1) Balance, Climb, and Jump checks 2) Penalties for varying light conditions and surfaces 3) Dodge checks to avoid burnination ... that's the sort of scene the players will remember ever after (happily or no). Don't forget the obligatory explosive accident!
Eberik 12-23-05, 12:44 PM	LOVE IT. I am printing up copies and sendint them to my players to remind them of what the game is about and things for inspiration.
Edymnion 12-23-05, 01:18 PM	Don't forget to give the PCs their Flimsy Dress of Cold Resistance! How else do you expect them to run around in little shear knee length dresses in the middle of a New York winter, in the snow? Oh yeah, and that they have boots of stability, to keep those hurricane strength winds at the top of extremely tall buildings from blowing them off (since they have their cold resistance dresses on, the sub-zero temperatures up there don't bother them). And that all natural predators live just for the joy of killing, and they never stop just because they have a big meal in front of them when there's a puny little piece of boney meat still running away. Or that Colossal monsters don't need to eat, drink, or "expel waste" when they are subjected to sleeping poison. Aka, screw being realistic. Long as it looks cool, go for it! Doesn't work for the movie, but it can work well for the game.
jonthegm 12-23-05, 01:56 PM	Don't forget to give the PCs their Flimsy Dress of Cold Resistance! How else do you expect them to run around in little shear knee length dresses in the middle of a New York winter, in the snow? Oh yeah, and that they have boots of stability, to keep those hurricane strength winds at the top of extremely tall buildings from blowing them off (since they have their cold resistance dresses on, the sub-zero temperatures up there don't bother them). Bzzt! Incorrect. Whether or not the weather has an impact is purely up to the plot. Does it help the plot if the PCs have to make balance checks to walk along an icy road to the bar? NO! Does it help the plot if the PCs have to make balance checks to keep from being blown off the top of a building while their quarry leaps from rooftop to rooftop in a gathering storm? YES! And that all natural predators live just for the joy of killing, and they never stop just because they have a big meal in front of them when there's a puny little piece of boney meat still running away. Pro-tip: If you noticed, the T-Rex ate a good portion of that thing that attacked the girl, and then he chased her for a good 5 minutes WITH IT STILL IN HIS MOUTH. We learn from this a few important facts! 1) Carnivores need to eat a LOT, especially Apex Carnivores. 2) T-Rexes probably weren't much smarter than housecats. 3) With an in-game intelligence of 3, T-Rexes don't need motivation. They show up hungry. Or that Colossal monsters don't need to eat, drink, or "expel waste" when they are subjected to sleeping poison. This falls under camp and pacing. It's NOT IMPORTANT. Aka, screw being realistic. Long as it looks cool, go for it! Doesn't work for the movie, but it can work well for the game. Pulp is realistic until it's inconvenient for the story. Remember that, that's what makes it much more fun. Despite this article's name, it's NOT ABOUT KING KONG. It's about pulp.
Kinger 12-23-05, 03:10 PM	I never liked pulp. It always got stuck in my teeth, so now I drink pulp-free. Oh, wait. Good job on the article. I agree with all points (as if that was important), and got a number of ideas, to boot! Also, I'm chiming in on the request for a RR post.
Mesraic 12-23-05, 03:50 PM	Seriously awesome post, and likewise it has given me a number of ideas, thanks for the input
igotsmeakabob!! 12-23-05, 06:23 PM	Awesome post!
Eksem 12-26-05, 07:24 AM	SPOILING WHISPERS OF THE VAMPIRES BLADE I think these points are why WotVB works so incredibly well. If you are chasing someone on an airship, of course the airship will be attacked by another airship with people chasing the same target AND you, and then of course BOTH ships will crash to the ground and of course the chase continues to begin anew on a train which of course will be attacked by the third faction looking for the target and you wich will move the chase to the roof of the train. My players where sooo exhausted after that session, haha, they were seriously out of breath. And I had to rest for a couple of hours just to watch TV after that, haha.