Team C garage

I've made a set of cards for the vehicles that Team C will be issued when the game begins.  These will include:

The Beast (a futuristic bullet-resistant fast car)

A sedan (non-descript passenger car)

A Tow-truck (to fetch busted vehicles)

A pick-up truck (for utility purposes and undercover work)

A motorcycle  (for cool wheelies)

A motorcycle with sidecar  (for looking like a dork)

An auto-gyro  (early type of almost helicopter, great for in-city work)

Batman's Gun

Some interesting reads about why we don't see Batman carry a gun anymore.

Discussion of the Rewards System

As a trial balloon, I've proposed a system of pay-outs and rewards, listed below.   Each mission will be rated "failure", "success" or "Extra-ordinary Success" and that result is cross-referenced with the result of the KILL JAR to get the pay-out.


The KILL JAR, is like a swear jar, one chip goes in for each person you kill (except enemies armed with deadly weapons who are trying to kill you) or person you let die, or major piece of property you destroy. 


I also have a system of "DAMAGE" to the various gangs in the city.  Each gangster that gets killed does a point of damage to the gang, affecting its morale.


There is a neat tension that arises if both systems are used.   Killing bad guys weakens the gangs, but killing bad guys also lessens your rewards,  so whether to kill or just beat someone becomes a real question with consequences for either choice.


Andrew has discussed adding "good chips" to the Kill Jar, but we are short on details so far.   I'd like everyone to think and give comment on the Rewards and Kill Jar ideas.

THE REWARDS SYSTEM

At the end of each session, there will be a PAY OUT. The pay-out is determined by cross-referencing “Success” with “Kill Jar”.
MISSION FAILURE:

• Kill Jar 0-5: Result: 1-P
• Kill Jar 6-10: Result: 1-N
• Kill Jar 11-15: Result: 0-D
• Kill Jar 16+: Result 0-D

MISSION SUCCESS

• Kill Jar 0-5: Result: 2-C
• Kill Jar 6-10: Result: 2-P
• Kill Jar 11-15: Result: 1-N
• Kill Jar 16+: Result: 0-D

MISSION EXTRAORDINARY SUCCESS

• Kill Jar 0-5: Result: 3-C,P
• Kill Jar 6-10: Result: 3-P
• Kill Jar 11-15: Result: 2-N
• Kill Jar 16+: Result: 1-N

Result Number
The number represents 3 things:

• Number of XP each player gets
• Number of draws from the ordinary gear deck the team gets per person
• Number of draws from the Special Deck the team gets as whole

Result Letter
Additionally the following letter codes apply:

• D—Dragnet by police next session, each time a 2 of clubs is drawn in initiative (either yours or enemies’ draw), 1-6 cops show up aiming to gun you down.
• P—Positive News story in the Paper: +1 charisma to all players next session.
• N—Negative News Story in the Paper: -1 to charisma to all players next session
• C-City Goes wild—next session, every time a Queen of Hearts is drawn by the players, some unexpected allies arrive to help the players

Equipment and Deck Update

I've printed out  and put up the final versions of the gear books on the wiki:


Equipment Book Page


I've also created the first deck.   It is the pieces of equipment that are in the Armory of the HQ when the team starts play.  (Remember, players also can pick a single special piece in addition).


The list is as follows (and I have a card for each to distribute when play starts):


Thompson Sub-machinegun  x2
Colt .45 Automatics x3
Colt New Service Revolvers x2
Colt Police .32  x1
Smith and Wesson Police Revolver x1
FN vest pocket .25 auto  x2
Springfield M1903 Rifles x3
Remington M30 Hunting Rifle x1
Remington M8 Hunting Rifle x1
Assorted Shotguns x4
Flak Jackets x4
Bullet Proof Vests x2 (ordinary)
Gas Masks x6
Steel Helmets x6
First Aid Kit x1
Doctor's Bag x1
Bundle of Dynamite x2
Demolition Kit x1
Nerve Gas Grenade x1
Radio Transmitter x1
Radio Receiver x2
Lock picks x1
Leather Jackets x4
Hand Grenades x4
Anti-Tank Grenade x2
Smoke Grenade x2
Dagger x2
Bayonet x2
Billy Club x2
Brass Knuckles x2
Trench Knife x1
Tomahawk x1
Black Jack x1
Bowie Knife x1
Flash Light x4
Handcuffs x2
Climbing Gear x1
50' Hemp Rope x2
Camera x1
Bottle of Chloroform x1
Anti-venom x1


If there is anything glaringly missing, let me know.  The idea is that this is the basic start line, with more stuff being delivered each session, more or less randomly.


The Team will have to decide whether items are returned to the Armory at the end of the session, or each person keeps what he's issued once it is distributed.


P.S.   I also slapped together the first deck of ordinary gear for the Rufus deliveries.  (Armory and  Rufus decks very easy, just cutting and pasting from gear books)

Starting to Panic

Ah!  it's less than 3 weeks until To A Bloody Pulp Begins!
Everything has to be ready!


I'm way behind on deck-making.


Panic!

I'll Take "Miniatures We Definitely Don't Need to Get for our Games" for $100, Alex

The Answer is:


WHAT IS FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR ARTILLERYMEN

I don't have these, I don't want these.   Wait a minute.   That guy on the bottom right with the curvy stick.   He could be a half-breed Austrian-Australian with a Krauten-Boomerang of death.    Damn.  Now I want them.

Life imitates Art

"Historicon" the summer convention of the Historical miniatures organization whose conventions I sometimes visit (though mostly in the Fall), is moving to Somerset New Jersey, right next to our fictional Gotham City.


Article Link

Meet Team C: Aeon Ghost

Aeon Ghost

Human Male - Seasoned (20 xp)

Heroic but fastidious, the extremely fussy vigilante known only as Aeon Ghost is one of the fastest and most agile members of Team C of the GCRP. His background is completely mysterious, but his commitment to clean hands and hatred of germs of any kind are legendary.

Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Pace: 6, Parry: 7, Sanity: 5, Toughness: 5

Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d10, Notice d4, Piloting d4, Shooting d8, Stealth d8, Streetwise d6, Throwing d4

Edges: Acrobat, Block, Two-Fisted, Ambidextrous, Fleet-Footed, Quick

Hindrances: Enemy (Minor): The All Americans, Heroic (Major), Phobia (Minor): Mysophobia (Fear of Germs)

I don't think I'll play Aeon Ghost, but I have a miniature for him and I'll build him in case someone else shows up who wants to play. He's vague enough that anyone can step right in to play, and he's effective enough as a detective and a skirmisher that I think he'll play well. Perhaps "new Matt" might play Aeon Ghost? We'll see.

Meet Your Gotham Neighbors: RIchard Nixon

Richard Nixon

Human Male - Novice ( 0 xp)

"Young Dick" has just graduated from college and is an intern at the Baker and Lee Law firm, before he starts law school. He is a fiery anti-communist.

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Pace: 6, Parry: 4, Sanity: 6, Toughness: 5

Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d4, Investigation d6, Knowledge (Law) d6, Notice d4, Persuasion d6, Stealth d4, Swimming d4, Taunt d6, Throwing d4

Edges: Extra Edge (Racial), Connections, Strong Willed

Hindrances: Bad Luck (Major), Big Mouth (Minor), Stubborn (Minor)

Meet Team C: Gorak the Janitor

GORAK

Human Male - Seasoned ( 20 xp)
Gorak is an unfrozen Caveman, rescued by the mysterious Mr. Cheavers and attached to Team C Headquarters as the building janitor. Modern inventions confuse and frighten him.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d10
Pace: 6, Parry: 5, Sanity: 5, Toughness: 8
Skills: Climbing d6, Fighting d8, Notice d4, Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Survival d6, Throwing d6, Tracking d8
Edges: Danger Sense (taken at Novice), Extra Edge (Racial), Brawler, Brawny
Hindrances: All Thumbs (Minor), Clueless (Major), Outsider (Minor), Illiterate (Minor)

Meet Team C: Pierre Delecroix

Pierre Delacroix

Human Male - Seasoned ( 20 xp)

Pierre Delacroix is a French Canadian who had a long career as a fur-trapper and lumberjack. He is rude, uncouth, and always has an opinion about just about anything that is going on. He is lame from his surgery to repair his body, but he still retains the quickness as well as his clever skills at repairing and improvising necessary devices for Team C.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6

Pace: 4, Parry: 5, Sanity: 5, Toughness: 5

Skills: Boating d4, Driving d6, Fighting d6, Healing d4, Notice d8, Repair d8, Shooting d8, Stealth d4, Survival d6, Tracking d4

Edges: McGyver (taken at Novice), Dodge (taken at Novice), Extra Edge (Racial), Quick

Hindrances: Big Mouth (Minor), Lame (Major), Stubborn (Minor)

Meet Team C: Doctor Rhombus

I had to do one more

And yes, the character generator program works much better in Chrome than it does in IE

Doctor Rhombus

Human Male - Seasoned ( 20 xp)
Was he really there, or was it in your mind? The mysterious Dr. Rhombus is the bane of criminals, getting inside their heads and setting up a hammock.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Pace: 4, Parry: 5, Sanity: 6, Toughness: 5
Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Investigation d4, Knowledge (Psychology) d4, Notice d4, Persuasion d6, Psionics d8, Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Streetwise d4, Taunt d6
Edges: Power Points (taken at Novice), Strong Willed (taken at Novice), Extra Edge (Racial), Arcane Background, Mentalist
Hindrances: All Thumbs (Minor), Cautious (Minor), Lame (Major)
Arcane Background: Psionics
Power Points: 15
Powers: Confusion, Fear, Mind Reading

Meet Team C: Captain Avalanche

A veteran of Pershing's expedition against Pancho Villa and the First World War, Captain Freemont was an active Treasury Agent until the end of Prohibition, but has been desperate and down and out since loosing that job.   What made him such an effective soldier and agent, was his remarkable gift on delivering a devastating sonic punch, knocking a whole parcel of enemies to the ground at once.   This was a gift from the ghost of Davey Crockett to young Hank Freemont during the Villista expedition.
 

Captain Hank Freemont (alias Captain Avalanche)

Human Male - Seasoned (20 xp)

Attributes:

Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d8
Pace: 6, Parry: 6?, Sanity: 6, Toughness: 6

Skills:

Climbing d4, Driving d4, Fighting d8, Intimidation d4, Notice d4, Persuasion d4, Piloting d4, Shooting d8, Stealth d6, Streetwise d4, Survival d4, Swimming d4, Taunt d4, Throwing d4, Tracking d4, Super Power (Pummel) d6.

Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Hard to Kill
Hindrances: Enemy (Minor), Heroic (Major), Loyal (Minor)
Arcane Background: Super Powers
Power Points: 20
Powers: Pummel (Sound)

Meet Team C: Mother Superior

Mother Superior Maria Cobblepot aka "Nun with a Gun" has decided to leave her post at Gotham's "Our Lady of Divine Retribution" to join Team C and rid the city of corruption and evil.

She brings to the team a measure of street smarts and investigative skills along with her iron will and marksmanship to counter her lack of physical fitness. Her past growing up in the mean streets of Gotham have left her with a variety of connections that could prove useful.

Mother Maria Cobblepot

Human Female - Seasoned ( 20 xp)

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d4, Vigor d8

Pace: 5, Parry: 5, Sanity: 6, Toughness: 7

Skills: Driving d4, Fighting d6, Healing d4, Intimidation d6, Investigation d4, Notice d4, Persuasion d4, Shooting d6, Stealth d4, Streetwise d4, Taunt d6

Edges: Connections (Catholic Church), Steady Hands, Strong Willed, Level Headed, Liquid Courage

Hindrances: Obese (Minor), Phobia (Minor): Spiders, Vow (Major): Catholic Church

To A Bloody Pulp: Preview #1 THE BEAST

THE BEAST

Acceleration 32

Top Speed 60

Toughness 14(5) Heavy Armor

Crew 1

Passengers 5

The vigilantes of Team C of the Gotham City Restoration Project are in possession of a truly remarkable vehicle, known as The Beast. It is as fast as a contemporary Sports Car, can carry 6 people comfortably like a sedan and is as well armored as a bank armored car. It has futuristic lines, decades before its time and a secret powerful engine that pulls around the weight of the thing with easy. It is, unfortunately, quite recognizable, and is recommended only for night-time use.

Upcoming Schedule: No game December 4

After talking with various folk about various things, I've decided that we won't have our regularly scheduled game on December 4th.


Our next game will be on December 18th, and will be the last Fistful of Lead shoot-out.  

To A Bloody Pulp will then begin on January 8th

Action Shots: Fistful of Lead Game 3

First a look at the Circle X Ranch

Next:  Mountain Men approach ranch at end of Turn 1

The Battle Commences at the End of Turn 2

P.S.   Tim did actually move a few cows out of the corral!!!   My cow models were not purchased in vain!

Savage Worlds Character Generator

Check out this cool character generator.

PULP-O-MIZER

PULP-O-MIZER: the custom pulp magazine cover generator PULP-O-MIZER: the retro sci-fi custom pulp magazine cover generator for web meme graphics, blog illustrations, coffee mugs, posters, notebooks and iPad covers

Readers Wanted

I have finished a 4th round of Equipment books for To A Bloody Pulp, including a first draft of a Vehicle Book (including zeppelins!).


I would like someone or someones to read over them and tell me if there is something that doesn't make sense or is messed up before I finalize the process.


The Four Booklets (Armor and Melee Weapons,  Guns,  Regular Gear and Vehicles) can be found at this page in the To A Bloody Pulp Wiki: (there are tons of pictures)


GO HERE FOR GEAR

Upcoming Schedule

What's everyone's opinion of November 20th?

Action Shots November 6 Shoot Out

A quick look at Bushwhack Canyon with a few more pieces of cover attached

First we see Mountain Tom and Blue Tom preparing to bushwhack the cattle-driving Dusty Richards

Next we see wounded Red Tom, Blue Tom and Mountain Tom still firing down on the remains of the Dusty Richards gang, as Crazy Bill and Old Cookie Swanson attempt to cross the river and come to grips with the Richards from the other side.

Welcome to Bushwhack Canyon

The herd approaches the exit to Bushwhack Canyon

On the other side, the exit of the canyon appears

Nearby lies the Lonesome Rock Ranch

Savage Worlds Game Rules

For the upcoming "To A Bloody Pulp" campaign, we will be using the Savage Worlds Deluxe rules as our baseline rules set.  

It is available from Amazon, for less than $10.   See the following Link:


Buy Savage Worlds

Check out the To A Bloody Pulp wiki

Cheeseball Eddie says:
"Hey, Nobody Wants to be the Cheeseball!"

Check out the wiki for To a Bloody Pulp for all kinds of information on Gotham City 1934 and the discussions on game rules for the upcoming campaign.   Let us know your comments and, remember, "Nobody Wants to be the Cheeseball!"

I anyone wants to get in on the wiki process, let Andrew know.

Action Shots--Fistful of Lead October 23

First,  "Silver Dollar" Jenkins makes his escape between the bank and general store:

Second,  The Rojos and the Rangos blast away around the Sheriff's Office

To A Bloody Pulp

Take a look at the details of our next campaign starting in 2017 - To A Bloody Pulp!

Take a Peek INSIDE Rock Ridge

Here's inside the Saloon

Here's inside the General Store

Here's Inside the Bank

Welcome to the Little Town of Rock Ridge

Rock Ridge Awaits

We're Getting the Band Back Together

I've sent out messages to all the old members of club I could think of to see if we can drum up a few more bodies in the pews for the "To A Bloody Pulp" Gotham City Campaign for the New Year.   It looks like Robert may rejoin us, perhaps.  I had some response from Joe C..  Dave H. has moved out of town, but still reads the logs and asked me to say hi to everyone.  Toby M. has also moved out of town, and I'm waiting to hear from a few others.

The Gotham City Background is really taking shape and there's a whole lot of depth to it.  At some point Andrew and I will share the wiki and all its gangster-y goodness with everyone.  I've got some gear catalogues ready--complete with pictures of every item--in a format that it can be printed out to cut into quarter-sheet cards.  I've started some work on miniatures and acquired some Matchbox cars to use as well.

This is really shaping up to be a good campaign, hold onto your hats.  If you can think of anyone who might want to join in, don't be shy.

Only 9 days until Wild West Shoot-Out

I'm a bad-ass cowboy living in the cowboy days

Yippie, Yippie, Yippie, Bang-Bang

Me and Artemus-Clyde-Frog have to save Selma Heyak from the giant spider



The Path Ahead

For those who were not present Sunday, we've come up with a tentative schedule of events for the next few months:

October 23:  Wild West shootout, series of gunfight scenarios, each probably 1-2 hours.  Come late, leave early, won't matter

November and December:  Since Andrew is busy,  I'm going to run a Wild West miniatures campaign.  The basic structure involves  everyone creating a gang, and fighting a series of shoot outs and other scenarios for loot and glory.  I think we'll set it up as Tim vs. Jason, with anyone else who shows joining one side or the other.  Since it's not a role-playing game, and each scenario is fast, coming late or leaving early will be no sweat.

January or thereabouts:  Andrew and I are working  on a new Savage Worlds campaign "To a Bloody Pulp", for two fisted action in 1930's Gotham City

P.S. I totally ordered these super villain miniatures

Fistful of Lead Test Games October 9

After wrapping up Blades in the Dark with a crushing defeat,   Tim, Andrew and I decided to give  Fistful of Lead a test.    In just about 2 hours we played 2 scenarios.   The first, Andrew brought the Rojo Brother's Gang to shoot up the town, and hunt down the Dreaded Sidewinder Gang, who had insulted their sister.    Meanwhile, Tim lead the Sidewinders to town to try to rob the bank.  I played the sheriff and shopkeepers.

To make a long story short,  Andrew kicked everyone's asses.   Shot the sheriff off his front porch on the first turn,  beat 2 bankers and 2 shopkeepers in the general store to death, killed all the Sidewinders without loosing a single man.

In scenario 2, once again Andrew led the Rojo gang.  This time he was coming to town to kill a dirty squealer held in the town jail.  Tim played the sheriff's posse guarding the jail.   This time it was quite different.   Entrenched in cover, the Posse shot the living crap out of the Rojos, killing them all, loosing only one man in the defense.

It's a fast, fun game.   I think we're going to have a good time with it next time.

A view of the town, with the Rojos and Sidewinders in the middle of things

Alternate Idea

So much potential.

Alternate Idea

This book cover is full of potential ideas as well:

Just an Idea for January or thereabouts

I have this idea for a 1930's pulp campaign for the New Year.   Just throwing it out there a while.

GOTHAM CITY 1934: Campaign Synopsis

 

Gotham City, in the midst of the Great Depression is thoroughly in the hands of the criminal underworld.   5 Old Gangs (around since the 1880’s) and 4 New Gangs (2 Chinese, 2 Italian Bootlegger families) have carved up the city rackets (gambling, extortion, prostitution, protection) and thoroughly corrupted every facet of city government from the police to the public works department.  With the collapse of bootlegging, all the gangs have branched out into more sinister pursuits including kidnapping and full-scale plundering.   The revenue from city taxes and union dues go mostly into criminal pockets.   The city is crumbling.

 

In this difficult time, a secretive group of civic-minded citizens and honest businessmen have pooled a secret fund of money to fund a private band of vigilantes to strike against the gangs and clean up the city.   Their agents have searched the country for down-on-their-luck talented detectives, boxers, soldiers and scientists to form this band.   An old warehouse and tenement block has been secretly purchased and refurbished (with the outside left deliberately run-down) to serve as a secret headquarters.

 

Will the power of the gangs triumph or will they simply turn on one another destroying it all in gang war?  Will the rise of criminal psychopaths shatter what’s left of civil society?  Will mad scientists, foreign agents and revolutionaries take advantage of the chaos to seize the city for themselves?  Or will some tommy-guns, Colt 1911’s, blackjacks and brass knuckles bring terror to the evil doers and drive them back to the sewers where they belong?

Blades in the Dark - Third Session Discussion

So I think we're hitting our stride with this third game in the series. We're doing a solid four scores a game, even with a dinner break and delays with me being late or leaving early because of rude kids. I'm having a blast, even if we aren't playing the game all gritty-like. It amuses me that our characters' "vices" include barbecue, ancestor worship, and ... ancestor worship. Dave's "mother fixation" cracks me up, and it is just as annoying as if his vice were drink, drugs, or whores. If not more so.

I've been trying to kick-start these sessions by dropping you guys right in a "free" score that I've already chosen for your characters. I balance that with making the score always yield coin, while giving me a bit of leeway to develop the campaign. I'm still looking forward to you seeing Lord Scurlock (the gentleman undead gambler) or the demon now clad in shopkeeper form that the Forgotten Gods created. Hopefully that is okay. The starting caper this time was not my best, but it turned out to be funny just because everything went pretty much your way for a change. If you aren't cool with the In Medias Res start, let me know and I'll do something different. I've just found that starting with the action gets us all focused that much faster.

My other favorite moment was the fact that you created an NPC contact (Simpkin the Incontinent) by pulling him right from your gang. Now they have more than just a faceless identity, they have an actual name to go with it.

Fistful of Lead Reloaded: Reading Review

I've read through the rules for Fistful of Lead--Reloaded in preparation for the Wild West Miniatures session I want to do. (See Recent Dr. Skull's Workshop Entries).   Here are my impressions:


Initiative/Activation:
Just like Savage Worlds, except no Joker, Aces are wild.   Special Bonuses for certain cards (e.g., if you get a Queen of Heats you can heal one wound).    Should be smooth.


Turn:
Each figure can do 2 things, e.g.  Move and Move,  Move and Shoot, Shoot and Shoot, Aim and Shoot,  get off Horse and Shoot.     Also smooth.


Shooting:
Roll d10,  5 or better to hit, close range, 8 or better to hit, long range.   A handful of modifiers nothing hard.   Roll a "1" when shooting means you ran out of bullets.


Wounding:
Hits can result in PIN, WOUND, or DEAD:   Pin works similar to SHAKEN in Savage Worlds.   Wound gives -1 penalty and knocks you down.  3 wounds or a  dead result means dead.   If roll a "1" when trying to get up from PIN or WOUND means you run off in terror.


There are some extra rules for TNT and Gatling Guns and for some minor unit customization and campaign play.    It is free of in-game record keeping and should be fast and fun.   It was a good choice I think

How To Tie a Perfect Man Bun

Click to learn how!