A little Pulp Alley

It has been about 2 months since I posted, and like many of you, I have been busy with life.  Besides the normal pandemic stress, transitioning o working from home, the rush at work, and graduate school, I have had scant time for gaming.  Things have settled won the last few weeks, though, and I must admit, I love working from home.  It has taken a while to figure out how to draw a line and balance work and home (and I am still working on it) but I get to spend more time with my favorite person, my lovely wife,

I would also like to apologize to the players in my play by email Matrix game.  I overextended myself and had to call it off after 2 turns.  I feel like a heel and I humbly apologize, I just could not juggle it with all of my other responsibilities I had going at the time.  I may give it another stab here in a few months, I have successfully run one before and would like to give it another shot.

Meanwhile, after owning it for years, I have finally gotten Pulp Alley on the table.  After a few run-throughs, I finally get the mechanics and I have to say I love them!  My wife's nephew has been staying with us and he has been helping me out.

For our first couple of games, he played a 3 member league from Miskatonic University while I played the Nazis from the German Institute for Theosophical Studies (GITS) I have posted highlights below.

Here, our nephew ponders his cards

The scenario was both sides were trying to obtain an experimental radio receiver that was being transported through rural England.  I used only 1 major and 2 minor plot points as we were just trying out the rules.  The truck carrying the receiver has had a minor traffic accident near a local garage with a bus full of Costwolds tourists.  So the 2 minor plot points were the truck driver who was drunk in the garage and could tell you which box had the receiver and an investor that was driving in his own car with the delivery truck.

Perilous areas included the stand of trees, the cows, Crossing the stone fence, and of course the mob of angry tourists.

The Nazis lurk around in their usual thuggish way.

Professor Armitage questions the investor.

One of the Nazis is accosted by the hot, sweaty, angry tour bus riders.  Peril !!!

A short-range gunfight over the crate with the receiver.

My leader (Major Shutlz) spent 3 turns interrogating the truck driver before he could get him to spill the beans.  That cost me the game and I was foiled in my attempt to steal the receiver.

And here it is, a little prop I 3d printed and now need to paint.

We next embarked on the Perilous Island Campaign, with our nephew using a league he created himself (The Cult of Everlasting Life) and I took the team from Miskatonic University.

We played through the first scenario, but I did not capture any pictures. I managed to win Lady Elaine's help to help locate her father, Lord Darrow, while she was at an excavation in Egypt.  Then we moved on to the second scenario, Final Flight.

Here is the table.  The pile of cargo towards the top had the package that could be used to bribe the mechanic to sabotage the plane.  Meanwhile, I was to meet a corrupt customs official between the two vehicles by the terminal in order to obtain tickets.  You can see the crowd desperate to get on the plane and escape the local rebellion.

This scenario is interesting because if any character uses a combat skill, they immediately become WANTED and they have to treat the entire table as extremely perilous for the rest of the game.  We actually wound up with no shooting the entire game. 

Dr. Griffin Rose, the founder of the Cult of Everlasting Life goes hunting for the package,

The crowd grows restless,

My first attempt to deal with the shady customs officer ended with me being punched in the stomach by him (I failed the peril before the plot point)  The hit marker is one I 3d printed and am experimenting with.  When I did pass the plot point, it turned out to be a red herring, this joker never had the tickets at all and was trying to shake me down for some money!

Dr Rose has his own issues trying to grab the package from the guarded cargo pile.

Eventually, the cult succeeded in getting the package and bribing the mechanic, while I finally got the tickets from yet another corrupt officer, but I could not convince Lady Elaine to come with me to get on the plane (she is stubborn!)

The cults second in command managed to make it to the plan with the info the mechanic gave him, and when he tried to board the plan to do his nefarious sabotage... the pilot was drunk and di not even see him!

Here is the challenge our nephew drew for the last plot point...

All in all a lot of fun and I will be playing more Pulp Alley.  Until next time, everyone stay safe and keep gaming!