[INTEREST] 1920s Pacific Tramp Ship Pulp Adventure

The characters would be crew on a rusty tramp ship that’s plying the South Pacific during the 1920s golden age of tramping. Ideally, one or more of the characters would own the vessel, increasing the stakes and maybe adding in a basic resource management element. Others could be drifters, dissidents or runaways from anywhere in the World—London, Shanghai, San Francisco, whatever. Ex-criminals, restless war vets, Trotskyite fugitives, aristo remittance men, etc. To add a noir feel, all could own some pretty serious flaws or dark pasts.

Based initially out of New Zealand, they’d deal with rough rivals, high seas and supernatural and cryptozoological dangers. How far we want to fly with the latter can be agreed before play.

I’d like to play no more slowly than 3 posts a week, and ask players to keep to that pretty reliably (or let me know if things get tight irl). Players would need to know a little about the 1920s- for example that it was after WW1 and before WW2. But no more than expected for a Call of Cthulhu game in the same period. At least be a bit interested in the ‘20s part of it.

I’d like to use either FATE or Savage Worlds . Partly as I’m new to the site (though not PbP), and I’d prefer to use a system I’ve GMd online extensively. If we chose FATE, we’d use a fairly low skill ladder (maxing at 3, say) , to build competent but very human characters. If Savage Worlds, making Novice level characters, since SavWo characters are pretty bullet proof with their bennies and soaks. With the ‘Novice’ therefore designating the game’s power level rather than characters’ in-world level of experience.

Again, we could decide how far we wanted to go with the noir feel— whether we wanted an Indie Jones type feel-good pulp adventure, or go for a darker Wages of Fear/ Treasure of the Sierra Madre angle.

Please express interest and character ideas if any come to mind. I’m interested also in any feelings about the options I’ve mentioned (system, degree of supernatural element, fun adventure or darker noir).

This sounds fun! I'd be interested. I'm a bit familiar with Savage Worlds, have played Fate.
Pulp adventure, noir, supernatural all sound fun ( That's also the order I prefer them)
I could see playing a crew member on the ship, or a spy, if not just a strait up cliche pulp adventure hero.

I can see from your profile you’d like to play SWADE. I can chalk that up as a vote for SW if we go ahead :).

Hi @OrangeTree, I very interested. I've played quite a few classic (1920's) CoC games, and a couple of Pulp/Noir genre SWADE games, so would have no trouble with the genre and rules. I have not played the FATE system, but would be happy to learn it.

Have a good feel for Pulp/Noir, and know the setting pretty well. If you get the game up and running I'd be interested in trying for a White Russian emigre to Shanghai. Small time criminal on the run, with a dodgy past. I'd enjoy the supernatural and cryptozoological dangers if they were part of it, but also happy to just play a straight-up Pulp/Noir game.

OrangeTree — this looks awesome in either flavor. I know and really dig both Fate and SWADE, and I adore 1920s-30s style pulp adventure. I’ve got a lot on my plate at the moment (traveling to see family, etc.), but I’d be a willing two-fisted participant if you struggle to find other interest…

It’s great to see this interest!

I’ve run a similar game before and we had a lot of fun. It was a SWADE adventure and I came up with a few setting edges and hindrances. I’ll post these when I’ve dug them up.

I love a good pulp/noir/supernatural mix, and would love to try this. Getting a Peter Jackson's King Kong/the game Dredge vibe. I've GM'ed and played SWADE, so am familiar with the system, but am up for trying Fate as well, would just need some time to read up on the rules.

Character wise was thinking of an older big game hunter, who doesn't have much time left and is looking for one last big score.

I would be interested in playing some con artist type character, or otherwise a smooth talker? Either way, I’m into the pulp adventure vibes, and wouldn’t mind some noir and supernatural :). I have a little more knowledge of Fate than SWADE, but I would be open to either system.

Great! Another potential player. It sounds like we are not completely sure about SWADE, but I've found some setting notes from an earlier, similar game. Does this pique everyone's interest, or make you feel you'd rather go with FATE?

CHARACTER CREATION NOTES

-Characters start as Novice, with ‘Novice’ indicating the adventure’s power level rather than the character’s length of experience.
-Gear. Purchase up to £41 8s (i.e. 500 shillings) of equipment. The Shilling is the adventure currency, 1s = $1 in rulebook terms. The GM can suggest a gear set if you prefer or you don’t have access to the equipment list.
-'Enemy' hindrance has to name a threat that can realistically catch up with the character.
-'Outsider' hindrance does not apply to the majority of ‘western’ nationalities; tramps are comparatively cosmopolitan

SETTING EDGES

Auto Didact (SMA d6, N): Without access to the educational opportunities of society’s elite, you have nevertheless amassed learning through your own efforts, devouring newspapers and every kind of book. Gain +1 to Common Knowledge rolls, also roll Science and Academics at a min of d4. Does not stack with other edge bonuses.
Driver Mechanic (repair d8): Your deep mechanical knowledge of engines and vehicles extends to their effective operation. Use repair for drive when operating land vehicles such as cars, forklifts and small trucks.
Handy (SMA d6): you carry a bag, satchel or other container from which you often draw items useful to the job at hand. Common tools like pliers, a hammer, a flask of booze can be drawn for free. More obscure items—a stethoscope, silver dollar or a round of .22 ammo --cost a benny.
Man/woman of Style (SMA d6, SPI d6): you know how to dress appropriately, have excellent manners and are familiar with the etiquette required in pleasant society. You—and peers in your orbit—gain a +1 to persuade when with respectable company.
Mildly Psychic (SMA d6, SPI d6, one at d8): you can occasionally gain a sense of another’s thoughts or read the atmosphere of a location. Roll on either SMA or SPI; shifts indicate weak intimations similar to passive telepathy or clairaudience. This is not an arcane background edge and there are no ABs in the setting at start.
Mr Cook: (performance d8): your efforts in the galley keep the crew well-fuelled and their morale high. When dishing out food, tea, coffee or a judicious tot of rum, roll performance. Success indicates that effects of fatigue or terror have been mitigated.
Old Salt (boating d8). Boating, notice and repair at +1 for most on-board tasks. Does not stack with other edge bonuses.
Sea Legs (SMA d6. SPI d6): though by no means a seasoned sailor, you have picked up the basics of seamanship through pluck and application. Boating, notice and repair can be rolled at d6 for simple on-board tasks. The edge can be ‘cashed in’ out at any time during an advancement phase.

SETTING HINDRANCES

Jonah (Major): If there’s trouble afoot, your ship will run into it, as long (it seems) as you are aboard. Ship-mates may resent your presence and you’ll find it harder to find a new ship.
Old Number One (Major): You tend to look after yourself, pocketing loot and favours. Except when you are likely to get caught or you really need others’ assistance.
Spendthrift (Major): you tend to spend exorbitantly on clothes, watches, fancy booze and other fripperies beyond your means. You tend to start each adventure with little more than you began the last.
Spook magnet (Minor): in haunted or otherwise creepy areas, you tend to be present when unusual events occur.

Based on the notes you’ve written and what I’ve skimmed from the rulebook and discussions posts, I feel like FATE would be better for fine-tuning the tropes / genres we want to emulate with pulp adventure in terms of flexibility with Aspects and Fate Points. However, if everyone else prefers SWADE, like I said, I am open to trying both systems.

(Edit: just occurred to me that those unfamiliar with Savage Worlds might not realise that setting edges are in addition to the whole bunch of existing edges and hindrances in the rulebook. Hope that’s clear.)

So for parity's sake, here are my thoughts about character creation using an appropriately adapted version of (Core adjacent) FATE.
…………………
To start with:
5 aspects (one ‘high concept’, one ‘trouble’)
3 stunts
Skill pyramid toping out at GREAT
• One Great (+4) skill
• Two Good (+3) skills
• Three Fair (+2) skills
• Four Average (+1) skills
• One Mediocre (+0), one Poor (-1)
Skills
1. Academics (arts, history, library skill, etc)
2. Athletics (climb, jump, run, etc)
3. Common Knowledge (current events, streetwise, local knowledge, etc)
4. Fight (boxing, kung fu, wrestling, etc)
5. Guile (deceit, stealth, pickpocket, etc.)
6. Handiness (drive, repair, electrics, etc)
7. Notice (investigate, eavesdrop, spot hidden, etc)
8. Physique (lift, endure, take damage, etc)
9. Science (biology, astronomy, zoology, etc.)
10. Seamanship (navigate, handle ship, read sea, etc.)
11. Shoot (pistol, shotgun, rifle, etc)
12. Social skills (empathy, rapport, cold read, sense motive, etc)
13. Substance (class, resources, manners, etc.)
14. Will (courage, leadership, sanity, etc.)

Characters may specialise within one or two particular skills---e.g. with Shooting (spec. Pistol) GOOD, pistol shots are rolled at 4 (GREAT), while other gun use is demoted to 2 (FAIR).

Something similar to this list has served well for a similar level of pulp game, so I'd be reluctant to change much if anything here. We’d need to add in a Science skill and I’d miss having something equivalent to Common Knowledge :(. Edit: I’ll put those in now.

We'd best decide whether to use FATE or SWADE before we go any further. Anybody else going to vote? One so far for FATE. 'Happy either way' means we'll go with the players who DO have a preference :)

I'd be very interested in a SWADE game (as Savage Worlds is my favorite system) and it is practically made for pulp action! I have extensive experience with SW, both as a GM and a player.

As for my preferences, I'm good for anything, but an Indiana Jones-type adventure particularly suits me. In fact, I see my character much as a female Indy. She would be skilled with a revolver and the antique sword that she carries (it belonged to her grandfather). She is a globe-trotting adventurer, always on the move and ready for two-fisted action!

So—tie break!

I do like the female Indie, but I’d stick to my call of starting out with Novice characters, aiming for a fairly lower power setting. If you are happy with a slightly downplayed version of your concept, I’m ok with the idea.

Agree that Savage Worlds supports a pulpy game extremely closely. Lower powered FATE, as I’ve suggested here, might work for a more noir feel. Though characters still have quite a lot of plot immunity with Fate Points.

Oh, she would be a Novice. No issues there.

Cool. Anyone else want to express a clear system preference? We’re tied 1-1. I’ll leave it a day, then make a decision if we are still tied.

Had a read of the FATE game system and I do remember playing in it at some point in the past. My preference is still for SWADE, and I agree with @WhtKnt that the system is tailor-made for Pulpy games.

I'd prefer SWADE as well.

Character wise was thinking of an older big game hunter, who doesn't have much time left and is looking for one last big score/hunt.

Ok! Defo SWADE. Great stuff, so So defo going with SWADE.

I love the game hunter idea. Only limitation is that we’re going to be moving round the South Pacific. There’s plenty to hunt in Oz (roos, huge crocs, semi-extinct creatures like the Tasmanian Tiger). But these don’t feel like typical big game hunter fare. New Zealand has plenty of cryptids—moa , giant eagles - that are extinct but some claim to have seen them. So- cryptids?. There’s loads more I won’t mention here. Would those provide the right kind of trophy?

I’m still figuring out the specifics of my character, but I’m going for either a con artist type of character or the heir of a wealthy businessman. The idea is someone persuasive and charismatic and who probably owns the boat.

I’m still figuring out the specifics of my character, but I’m going for either a con artist type of character or the heir of a wealthy businessman. The idea is someone persuasive and charismatic and who probably owns the boat.

Either of those would work well. The Rich edge would be enough to set them up as the heir character.

I think you're making a good choice with SWADE. Fate's a brilliant game -- an all-time favorite of mine, a game that changed the way I run and play games generally -- but boy can it struggle if everyone's not proficient in its nuances.

Would a local (might be Māori or another Polynesian) sea captain be a good fit? Someone hired on to pilot the boat, or perhaps who owns the boat and was hired along with it by the wealthy type? Do we want an old boat with quirks, or a new one the captain doesn't fully trust yet? ;)

Yup, cryptids is what I was thinking. He's hunted everything else deemed fierce and natural (elephants, bison, lions, tigers, bears, great white sharks, etc), and is now looking for a greater challenge, something to cement his legacy. Following his research, plus local legends, rumors, gossip, and whispers of greater, and odder/more dangerous things.

Hi Harrigan. A Maori or Samoan, etc. would be interesting. There’s a Maori crewman on the tramp steamer in Jackson’s King Kong. The guy walks right up to the camera at one stage so you can see his moku (tat). A shout out to NZ by (Kiwi) Jackson, I guess.

Making them captain would avoid straying into iffy stereotypes, too. I’ve just got one request- could we avoid posting old images of deceased locals ( as a character icon say ) in case Antipodeans are in the game or reading. A suggestion to avoid player homework is to imply that he is Polynesian but don’t specify whether he’s Maori, Hawaiian, Cook Islander or whatever.

As you mention, I think we can accommodate the owner idea and the captain role if he’s the hired skipper. I prefer the leaky old rust bucket angle with the ship.

Perfect!

Get that man some trained hunting dogs and he could be 'famed Adventurer' Charles Muntz from Disney's UP...

I'm all for steering clear of harmful stereotypes, no worries. And he might be a she; undecided on gender at the moment.

So had to look that up on Wikipedia! Ed Asner? I remember that guy from the Mary Tyler Moore show!

Muntz was the antagonist to Ed Asner's protagonist, Carl Frederickson, in UP but yes. I remember watching Mary Tyler Moore back in the day!

Thanks Harrigan.

(I don't want to give the impression that I'm going to 'police' the game around identity and such. 1920s pulp is bound to have some edgy moments.)

I was thinking more the explorer from the Jumanji movie, but that ain't shabby either!

So as not to drag this out, could I ask folks whether they are ok with a 3 to 4 post a week rate? 3 post minimum? I wouldn’t like to drop below that except by discussion (players in an irl busy steak who can play a slower game aboard ship). Does that seem reasonable?

I’ll open a game thread for those who are ok with this rate and who’ve ‘cleared’ some kind of character idea here. Might be this evening.

I’m fine with 3-4 posts a week!

I can do 3-4 per week.

I'm also fine with 3-4 posts a week.

I'm good with the post rate. If my PC has nothing to say/offer, I'll try to post something so you know I'm around.

I'm not sure if we need a balanced party in SWADE. Unless there's a position we need filled, I'm thinking I'll play a mechanic/grease monkey that works for the captain/owner. He'll try to keep the ship running and in one piece.

Yes, good! i agree we need some more typical crew types to balance things out.

So if you are happy with the post rate and have shown me a character concept, please go over to the game forum. EDIT forgot that I have to invite here :)

Hey @OrangeTree, I am fine for a rate of 3-4 posts per week.