Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

Discussion of the pulp roleplaying system, including hard-boiled detectives, fedora-wearing action heroes, and steampunk gadgeteers rocketing to battle.
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Relaxo
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Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

Post by Relaxo »

In most fantasy games, you have what I call the four food groups: Fighter, Wizard, Cleric, Rogue (Thief).
(if you're kickin' it old skool, no thief, but you get my point)

So in AA, what do you think the four food groups would be? or five food groups?
Arcanist (intelligence), Arcanist (wisdom), Hooligan and um... others?

I'm thinking one Arcanist covers the bases for magic, so what's the fighter role? (of course the tinker or whatever it's called is a wizard too, really)

Does it even make sense, this question?
I feel the Raider and Gumshoe are both really sweet and totally fit the genre (not that pulp is really a genre but, work with me here)

so I'm not making much sense, but what do you think are the "essential" classes for a party? or are there any even?
Bill D.
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Relaxo
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Re: Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

Post by Relaxo »

Seems from other posts, the Pugilist is out....
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Jason Vey
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Re: Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

Post by Jason Vey »

There aren't four food groups, since the pulps encompass SO many different genres and sub-genres.

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Relaxo
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Re: Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

Post by Relaxo »

Yeah, that's true.
I suppose the question becomes a mirror of sorts.... if I'm making sense.

Jay, any more "official" adventures on the way?
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Jason Vey
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Re: Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

Post by Jason Vey »

In fact I just got a look at the map for the next one, Temple of the Red God, from Pete Bradley this morning.

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Relaxo
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Re: Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

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SWEET!
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Jason Vey
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Re: Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

Post by Jason Vey »

I have a scheme for a series of linked adventures that'll form a campaign, but I have to work out the details in my head first. Also, we'll see how the Gen Con adventure goes--I may turn it over for publication, too.

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Re: Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

Post by Mikros45 »

Relaxo wrote:In most fantasy games, you have what I call the four food groups: Fighter, Wizard, Cleric, Rogue (Thief).
(if you're kickin' it old skool, no thief, but you get my point)

So in AA, what do you think the four food groups would be?
I guess since it's compatible with C&C with just a bit of difference, you could drop those classes right into AA and just give them modern (or from whatever era the setting is) equivalent equipment?

But I "get" your question :)

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Relaxo
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Re: Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

Post by Relaxo »

you so can!
I was thinking a cool AA game might involve a mummy Viking the nazis are trying to ressurrect, and just use the fighter class if he gets reanimated. (or maybe that's even suggested in the book, I can't recall)
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Dracyian
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Re: Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

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Relaxo wrote:you so can!
I was thinking a cool AA game might involve a mummy Viking the nazis are trying to ressurrect, and just use the fighter class if he gets reanimated. (or maybe that's even suggested in the book, I can't recall)
In the section concering spending MEP to interferre with another spell caster Michael the Mysterious (I think his name was michael) was thwarting the spell of a nazi necromancer.

Also completely unrelated after the storm we had up in wisconsin last week I now know why Vikings and Lumberjacks were/are such big people after swinging an Axe for a half hour

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seskis281
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Re: Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

Post by seskis281 »

1st AA game started tonight... beginning group at level 6 so they start already at a good experience level, using my own "alternate Earth circa 1938," explaining how mentalism and arcanism returned to the world in the late 1800's and early 20th century - most events same until the turn of the century and especially the outcome of World War I....

Dracyian playing a British Arcanist with Historian background, married to one of our 2 Raiders (she uses whip as primary weapon), our other raider Prof. Jonathan Sykes is a cross between Croc Dundee and Indiana Jones with a Winchester, and we have a very young mentalist whose rich Guggenheim father exploited her talents for business for years before she ran away and stumbled into this group. And my wife is playing a Pugilist, and basically has been smashing jaws all night (a "Hoover-boy" called her character "Bruiser" Bertowski an ethnic slur... 3 hits two unconscious G-men later.... and yes, alternate or not J. Edgar always seems to be there....

Some of the world differences - the Nazis are in power but Hitler rose through a coup against the Kaiser - Germany and Austria won World War I, America remained pacifist under Pres. William Jennings Bryan. No prohibition, numerous differences led only to a short recession following the wall street crash of 27, currently the President is Huey P. Long. Alphonse Capone is Mayor of Chicago. Russia is ruled by the Tsarina Anastasia, who ascended and modernized her country after her father's death and her brother's death from anemia. Australia is a "wild west" of former inmates and transportees. Movies have much better special effects because of employment of professional arcanists - Gone With the Wind and Wizard of Oz made 2 years earlier. Babe Ruth never left the Red Sox and in NY they call the failed deal that almost snagged the Bambino the "Curse of the Yankees." Scotland Yard was the 1st organization to develop use of mentalists for law enforcement, helped solve the Whitechapel murders (turned out to be totally different than any expected - the rare and unlikely female serial killer dispensing Victorian justice on other women).

Got off to great start, really cool flavor and feel to things. Feels really dangerous with firearms and bullets.... luckily Bruiser worked for "Tony the Greek" in NY and knows some back-room surgeons...
John "Sir Seskis" Wright

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Re: Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

Post by Relaxo »

Dude, that sounds FRICKIN' AWESOME!!!! I love your alternate Earth (except for the part about Babe Ruth, LOL).
Very cool alternate history!
Bill D.
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seskis281
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Re: Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

Post by seskis281 »

And just to add.. my "hook" involved the death of an esteemed history prof at NYU by SS agents from Germany. Our raider Jonathan was a colleague. The history prof? Prof Joseph Kennedy - no prohibition, different circumstances, he went into academia instead.... but I couldn't resist starting with a "Kennedy assassination" :D
John "Sir Seskis" Wright

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Relaxo
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Re: Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

Post by Relaxo »

That's a great hook!
You should publish this stuff!
Bill D.
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Dracyian
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Re: Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

Post by Dracyian »

The Grey Elf wrote:Sounds like an awesome game!!!
Speaking from first hand experience as the "Pompous" brittish arcanist who happens to be a historian with his studies in the histories of secret cultures, its an amazing game and I love playing with our group.

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Dracyian
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Re: Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

Post by Dracyian »

The Scoialite being like your modern day bard with some of the Charismatic Knight abilities is actually a really awesome character to take with you and the advantage to ability based rolls she learns to give off make your magic users completely broken

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Jason Vey
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Re: Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

Post by Jason Vey »

The Socialite can certainly boost the power of a mage, but I wouldn't call them "broken." Hell, she can boost the abilities of other classes just as much--it's what the Socialite does.

And remember, there's always that chance of rolling a 1 and imploding down, which can knock an Arcanist senseless.

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Dracyian
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Re: Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

Post by Dracyian »

this is very true, lol, the socialite is definitely a class to have if you are going adventuring

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Jason Vey
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Re: Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

Post by Jason Vey »

Since nobody ever wants to play the Socialite, I did what I could to design it to be a very fun class to play.

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Re: Amazing Adventures, the four food groups

Post by Dracyian »

Vilete the socialite in our group is having a lot of fun thats for sure. It does help that John gives us plenty of opportunities to roleplay and isn't treating this as a crawl in any means of the word.

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