"Pulp games with massive numbers of figures?" Topic

So, I know a lot of pulp games are minor skirmish type actions. But point me towards the games you've seen/played/ran that had huge numbers of figures (other than zombie games, please! blechhh!). Hundreds and hundreds of figures will be very inspiring.

I have large numbers of 15/18 mm figures for my own Victorian Pulpish games (no, not Steampunk and, no, not VSF) and am looking to see what others have done. Or, am I leading the way in games with hundreds of figures?

Victorian Pulp? Games along the lines of Pulp but set circa 1885 – I can get a strong colonial feel in and then bring in other fun elements. Around the World in Eighty Days? Well, sure. And Mysterious Island, naturally. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea? Oh, yeah. All about fun, just with a lot more figures on the table!

I haven't managed to get this beyond the idea stage. But I have in mind such a game where two imaginary African colonies could end up fighting a nice, little war. One British, the other French. This would involve relatively large numbers of figures on occasion. But it would be set between the two world wars. So not quite what you're looking for.
In case anybody is actually interested in hearing more about this project. Be assured that if I manage to get this up and running I will not keep it to myself…

Early morning, I know that you know that I don't game, but when it comes to putting together a Pulp table or a Victorian table I am definitely in the "game." A Victorian city layout complete with citizens of all levels of society plus the "Napoleon of Crime," Bobbies, Sherlock and Watson, work wagons and carriages, werewolves, vampires, opium dens, escaped lunies, ladies of the night, rat catchers, drunks, common thugs, grave robbers, mad scientists. suffragettes, the clergy and street vendors (and some zombies) can easily number in the hundreds of figures. Even without the game motivation, I had a great time putting my 28mm Victorian table together. It can be seen at link

RIchard, I just thought you might like to 'hear' – via reading – that your approach has influenced me to a degree. Why not just enjoy the figures in their own right, and all the associated impedimentia, and put together collections like yours. While I've gamed with many fine folks over the years I've also tolerated, to greater or lesser degrees, some real less than pleasant people. Maybe your approach leads to greater satisfaction with the hobby. Sort of like my other hobby, model railroading. I do that for myself, not for others.

But still want to hear from others about large pulp games, there were all those 'fine folks' after all.

Astounding Tales by Howard Whitehouse can get quite a few figs on the table.
Clif

We have hosted several GASLIGHT Pulp games that involved a couple hudred figures on the table at the same time:

John Carter of Mars-

For more info, see:
link

20,000 LEauges Under the Sea-

For more info see:
link

And more recently, a 1930's era game where the Hero needed to save Santa from Gangsters and Nazi Agents:

For more info, see:
link

Also… GASLIGHT includes Battles by GASLIGHT, which was written for larger games involving several units per player.

Early Morning Writer

If I understand what you're saying, you need rules for "between the wars" action with Chinese warlords and the like. VSF gaming is not the same as "Pulp Era" gaming with its gangsters, mysterious and exotic heroes, adventurers, natives, cultists and detectives. The "pulp Era" genre is best played with small groups of figures. I would try Bob Murch's pulp rules that can be found at his web site. They cover large unit actions and are free! Free is good!

Early Morning, Joseph Campbell hit the old nail on the head when he advised: "Follow your bliss." Words to live by. Richard

Agree – we have played a couple of big Pulp Interwar games – one set in Mexico, one in China – using about 250 figs; we used the "Contemptible Little Army" rules

GASLIGHT also had a pulp supplement, To Be Continued… by GASLIGHT. combining the To Be Continued supplement and the Battles supplement, you can do what you describe. Both supplements are part of the GASLIGHT Compendium book (which is back in print through On Military Matters. You can get a look at the basic mechanics with the GASLIGHT Quick Start Guide which is a free download from RPG Now.

Buck

I like your term, "Victorian Pulpish games." Although Pulp as a miniatures genre is oriented toward each player handling 2 to 5 figures each, it can be nice to allow for scenes with more figures. I have two recommendations for that:

.45 Adventures by Rattrap Productions, is one of the solid pure Pulp sets of rules. It, like most other Pulp rules, is oriented toward players handling 2 to 5 figures each. However, there is a small add on called "Hordes of Mooks" (a free PDF download) allows the players to handle numerous minions in a faster simpler way. You'll find the download here:

link

At a slightly larger scale, Triumph & Tragedy is in the scale gap between the traditional bigger skirmish games and the role playing scale of most Pulp. T & T has units that can be as small as a fire team or as big as a large squad, but also has units that are individual leaders, heroes, special characters, or vehicles. Your Pulp characters could be fitted into a T & T game as leaders or heroes. Players might typically control a leader, a hero, a couple of squads, and a vehicle. You can check out T & T here:

triumph-tragedy.de

It depends on what you call Victorian Pulp. I've played in large games of Eureka Miniatures Pax Limpopo universe: Steam powered armour troops, unicycle cavalry, flying monkeys, cannibals,anthropomorphised Animal troops (a la Dr Moreau), pygmies, etc. These games were put on by Nic from Eureka Miniatures.

There is really no such thing as "Victorian Pulp". The Victorian Era precedes the Pulp Era, which lasted from approximately 1912 when John Carter and Tarzan debuted in pulp magazines, until the mid 1950's when the last of the pulp magazines were published. Several other related genres, like movie serials, radio dramas, adventure comic strips and "B" movies lived and died approximately during that same period. The pulps were replaced by the "slicks" and "sweats", like "Man's Life" and "For Men Only", which lasted until the late 1960's.

One of my goals is to do Hammett's "The Big Knockover" in 28mm. I think it would take about 150 cops + gangsters, plus any civilians.

Many helpful answers but perhaps some expansion of what I have in mind. Each of the 'heroic' forces will be as many as two dozen figures. The other forces may have as many as eight times that many figures, in multiple units, of course. I know most of you will think that can't be pulp-like but I'm sure it can be. And there will be infantry, cavalry, and artillery in my games. What takes this across the line from just a 'war' game and into 'pulpish' territory is a bit of role play, a bit of out of place technology (maybe a dirigible or steam traction – but not a ray gun or mechanical walkers), and multiple factions.
Something not unlike the situation in the Wind And The Lion but mixed with a healthy dose of humorous touches.

And, The Shadow, while the most commonly understood period of the pulp magazines is as you describe, the reality goes much further back than that and might even be said to continue to this day – if not on 'pulp' paper.

I'll also chirp in with a suggestion to look at GASLIGHT. You heard from the people involved in the above posts. I believe you can do what you are looking to do with their rule set. Here's a link to their site that has a Quick Start Guide at the bottom. Check it out and see if it would work for you:

link

>>And, The Shadow, while the most commonly understood period of the pulp magazines is as you describe, the reality goes much further back than that and might even be said to continue to this day – if not on 'pulp' paper.<<

You combined two words to create a phrase, Victorian pulp, that makes no sense. The word "pulp" sometimes refers to a moist shapeless mass of matter. The "pulp era" is the one that I described, that is about 1912 to the mid 1950's. "Pulp fiction" is lurid fiction with no literary value. A "pulp" is the collectors term for a pulp magazine. Which term, combined with Victorian, were you referring to? I don't think that you meant a moist mass in the Victorian era, and you can't combine two eras, so did you mean lurid fiction from the Victorian era? I don't think so. There is Victorian adventure fiction, if that's what you mean, but there's no logical reason to create the phrase Victorian pulp. In fact, it only confuses the issue. Victorian era is Victorian era. Pulp era is pulp era. They have nothing to do with each other.

Early morn Writer – based on your answer – yes frequently using Eureka's Pax Limpopo rules and figures with a bit of added stuff for characters.

Also… GASLIGHT includes Battles by GASLIGHT, which was written for larger games in il inc several units per player.