Fivecore Pulp

 

Fivecore Pulp.

I bought these rules last year, with the vague idea that I would do something with them eventually.  I had great fun with the WW2 version, Five Men in Normandy and these seemed to offer a bit more.  Not cheap, at a tenner but they play solo and I was willing to give them a try.  

This level of game is generally very much Fistful of lead territory for me so these rules will have a lot to live up to.  The main attraction is that these are solo rules, designed to be solo, with a campaign system that is very much at their core.

A campaign under these rules is played in a series of “episodes” with each episode revolving around a single tabletop encounter.  This can be a custom-made scenario or you may simply use the included tables to roll up a random encounter.  For my solo game that's exactly my plan.  Well worth a look.

After each encounter, the heroes have a chance to gain new skills, make new friends and generally progress, with the episodes linking together in an overall storyline.  

Pulp adventure can entail a wide range of genres and stories, but for my gaming purposes its generally going to be tomb raiding with the heroes digging through forgotten ruins while fighting bandits, angry tribes and the occasional Mummy.

Hollywood Actor and
Director Cullen Landis

I`m going to rely on 1920s and 30s serial movies, and my heroes will be the Royal Society, adding Landis Cullen, in homage to the silent movie actor as the Society's "Nemesis."

What a jaw line!

Fivecore Pulp has five different levels of character
Hero (Typically only one as "the star"))
Ally
Allies are highly competent individuals that are aiding your party but not a formal part of it. .
Adventurer
These are your run of the mill characters with no particular advantages in the game mechanics, being the exact character class the rules assume.
Follower
A party may accumulate a number of followers, ordinary people, often hired hands, 
that are competent in their field but rather unremarkable and lacking in adventuring spirit.
Hanger-on
A unique class, hangers-on are characters that are of little use on the battlefield.
They may be related to an Adventurer or Hero, they might be needed to solve a particular 
problem or they may be someone that needs escort or rescue.

My Characters

The Archeologists
Lord Randolph Farthingdale, 1872 Webley Bull Dog .44 Short Rim fire,  five shot pocket revolver. Traits: Leader, Pistoleer	Dr Howard Parker, Archeologist Gasser 1870 Model Army Service revolver, old Holborn short stem walnut pipe, "Bangkok Fruity Surprise"  Traits: Lucky,Encyclopedic Knowledge
Lady Jamalia Keen, Sasta-Vidya Swordmistress, Khanda 2 edged Punjabi Sword, two Katar H hilt daggers. Traits: Swordswoman	Mr Clarence Wigamore,  His Lordship's Valet.  Purdy shotgun, Durham Constabulary Truncheon. Traits: Brawler, fastidiousness.
Mr Rick O'Girk,  Grad student and gunslinger. 2 x Colt M1877   .38 double action revolvers Trait Two guns.

The Nemesis: Mr Landis Cullen of Boston, thief of antiquities

Elmo Lincoln, Mr. Cullen's right hand man

Size of the party.  I roll a 4, and Mr Cullen will have a party of seven. I better book several state rooms on the liner! 

The Group will have one hero, Mr. Cullen, three adventurers,  two followers and one hanger on, his socialite fiancée Miss Lucille Love.

Cullen rolls his back story.  He is an upper-crust criminal and, a former jewel thief, (the Crimson Flash) in the game for the money, and a very determined individual.

Additional pistol
Skills Sharp shooter, when stationary roll one additional Kill die. 

Elmo Lincoln has worked for Mr Cullen for ten years.  He is a former drifter, who values the money he earns from the boss.  He is loyal to Mr. Cullen. 
Pistol and shotgun
Skills, Bruiser, reroll all 1 results when brawling

Francis Ford, traveler and explorer, debt, bitter.  He has been engaged to serve as Mr. Cullen's guide. 
Revolver and Rifle
Skills, steady doesn't count shaken.

Tailspin Tommy, daredevil Pilot , Over enthusiastic.  A bitter rival of the Wright brothers, who firmly believes that flapping wings are the future of air travel.
Pistol and Rifle

Follower, Morrison, Mechanic. Rifle

Follower Walter Miller, Hired Muscle, friend of Francis Ford. Switchblade 

Hanger on, Mr. Cullen's socialite fiancée Miss Lucille Love

Extra Equipment rolls
1 Handgun
2 Rifle
1 Shotgun
1 Blade

Extra Equipment rolls

(1) No gear.  (6) Shortcut, enemy appears on short table edge. (6) Ally.  An ally with two pistols appears for this encounter only.

Starting point

The Expedition's Goal
(1.)  Historical artefact.  The Bracelet of Osiris.
Where in the world are we going?
Starting location.
(47) Middle East - Cairo.

The group have two leads.

Roll Enemy

(69) Bandits and looters

Six of them. A level one Boss, three thugs and two cretins.

Thugs  M5” F12” 1K1S +0

Cretins M4” F8”  1K -1

The Setup

Random encounters focus on fights taking place near the exploration or dig site where the 

treasure hunt is taking place.

(83) You are searching the area of the location of the goods.

Set up on opposing, random table edges, at least 20” apart.

Determine randomly who sets up first.

Terrain Rolls 

1-7 Sparse 1-2 small individual features.

8-19 Clutter 4-6 small individual features.

20-30 Area 1-2 area features.

31-43 Chunk 1 large individual feature.

44-59 Structure 1 building or climbable feature.

60-69 Dense 1 area feature PLUS 

1-2 small  individual features OR 1 linear feature.

70-79 Linear 2-3 linear terrain features

No Nemesis in this game.  

Dr P's dig site at Tanis

The Bandits close in as O`Girk climbs to the roof, unleasing a barrage of pistol fire.  The red shock dice are excellent.

The Bandit Boss steps on the peril point, but fails to change it to a lead.  He discovers a venomous adder

Dr P discovers the plot point, gains the lead and lights up a pipe of Bancock fruity surprise.  The Doctor is always partial to a rough shag.

Lady Keen skewers an enemy.  What would poor Captain Keen say?  Alas he fell at the siege of Jhaksi. 

Mr Clarence Wiggamore dispatches the enemy Boss with a well placed shot to the vitals

The enemy flee for their very lives.

The Spoils His Lordship's loot roll is the first game, not from a lead, so he only rolls once.

.

73   Single artefact plus Scraps (Archeology pieces worth cash)

Roll Item

90 Statues or figurines

The Royal Society discover the Statue of Naked Osiris, and it has a map scratched onto the god's buttocks revealing the location of the "Well of Osiris."  It's worth 5000 guineas!

In celebration His Lordship purchases Mr Wiggamore a Pair of grenades on the equipment list.  It's just what he always wanted.

Campaign events

(51) Picked this up in Shang-Hai The Adventurer or Hero with the lowest number of skills gains a new one.  Rick O`Girk, grad student, earns "Spray and pray" Add one additional shock die when firing

skill.