To a Pulp

A simple pulp wargame
© 2006 Mike Fischer
Last modified: 05/19/2006

I. Introduction

Pulp gaming, in which each player controls a character or faction from a 1930's pulp thriller, is growing in popularity. Such games combine the visual appeal of miniatures gaming with aspects of role-playing games, allowing the players to control the actions of tough private eyes, seemingly-helpless dames, brave explorers, and all the rest. I wrote these rules mostly for my own amusement.

The rules are made for simplicity and fast play. The game is meant for use with miniatures, but you can download a set of paper minis for free (see Section XI). All you have to provide is a few six-sided (d6) and ten-sided (d10) dice. The game is meant for two or more players, but it can be used for solo gaming as well.

This game comes with:

These rules
One sheet of markers (if you need more, print more)
Five tiles for making a warehouse adventure
Three tiles for making a jungle adventure
Five tiles for making an underground adventure
One sheet of bases for paper figures

The map tiles are drawn with roughly one-inch squares. All game measurements are given in inches, so one inch equals one square.

II. Characters

A character represents one person, a stereotype from the pulp magazines -- the hardboiled detective, the crime boss, the gun moll, and so on. Each character is represented by a miniature figure on the gaming area, and has the following ratings:

Shoot is the character's skill with ranged weapons. This is usually a positive number, but can be zero or negative for a terrible marksman.
Tough is the character's skill at hand-to-hand combat. Like Shoot, this is usually positive. Tough also affects your character's ability to shrug off wounds. It must be at least 1.
Speed is how fast your character can move. It must be at least 1 or the character cannot move.
Agile is the character's dexterity. It helps him dodge ranged attacks, balance on log bridges above bottomless pits, and perform other amazing acts. It also serves as the character's ability to observe his surroundings and find lost or hidden things. It should be at least 1 if the character is to be able to find clues.
Wounds is how many times your character can get hurt before he becomes unconscious or dies. It must be at least 1.
Weapons are the implements of destruction that your character has practiced with. These can be ranged weapons like tommy guns or handguns, or hand-to-hand weapons like knives or brass knuckles. If no weapons are listed, the character fights with his fists alone.
Points is the cost of adding that character to your faction. To get a character's point cost, add up all his attributes (wounds count double, and Mystic weapon counts as 2), then divide the result by two. Most characters have point values that are multiples of 5. A few have values like 7.5 or 12.5; such characters should be added to your faction in pairs, or in 7.5+12.5 teams, so the point values come out even.

You can create your own characters if you don't like the values provided, but don't make them too powerful. At 15 points, a character can pretty much ignore most 5-pointers. A character worth 20 points or more falls into the "superhero" category, and probably can't be overcome by anyone but another superhero. A maxed-out character (a 9 for every rating) is worth around 25 points and would be just about unstoppable. Of course, "character" is a relevant term. For example, if you want your faction to face off against a dinosaur in the Lost Valley, that dinosaur should definitely have some high numbers.

III. Setting Up the Game

First, sort out the game markers:

Wound markers have a number on them, showing how many wounds a character has left. Put such a marker on or under each character as he suffers wounds. A character with no wound markers is at full health.
Hero markers allow you to simulate the unbelievable luck that some pulp characters enjoyed. You can expend one Hero marker to reroll one die roll that pertains to one of your characters. The second roll is final; you can't use more than one Hero marker to affect one die roll. A Hero marker can be used once per game, and is then discarded.
Dead (RIP) markers show which characters have said the Big Goodbye.
Unconscious markers show characters who have been knocked out. Such characters have a chance to regain consciousness in the Recovery Phase.
Closed markers are placed on a door to show that it is closed, but not locked.
Lock markers are placed on a door to show that it is closed and locked.
Key markers can open a locked door. A character who finds a key can keep it with him, and open any number of locked doors with it. If your game has only one Key, make sure doesn't wind up behind a locked door!
Trap markers show where the hidden traps are located.
Clue markers represent clues to the location of the objective. In most scenarios, the objective doesn't start the game on the map. Instead, once a set number of clues have been found, the objective appears, based on the locations of the clues.
Objective markers are the things that your characters are looking for.
Nothing markers are dummies, to keep the excitement level high; when you turn up a marker, you never know if it will be your objective, a deadly trap, or ... nothing at all.

One person serves as the scenario writer. This person decides what the game's objective is to be. He then lays out the terrain appropriate to the scenario. If the action takes place indoors, the writer must take a mix of Closed and Locked markers, and place them randomly on appropriate doors. The number of markers depends on how much free access you want the characters to have.

Next, select the following markers that are appropriate to your goal: an Objective, 3-4 Clues, 1 Trap for each faction in the game, and one Nothing for each faction. Mix these up and place them on the terrain, face down, in hard-to-reach places (don't place the Objective yet). Use your head here; if you're rescuing the beautiful heiress, the bad guys wouldn't be holding her in the front office, and if you're trying to find the entrance to the underground lair, it wouldn't be on a busy street corner.

Now, you must create your faction. There are some pre-defined factions in Section XI, or you can make your own, as long as it makes some kind of sense. That is, if you can logically find a reason to have Nazi Thugs and Fishmen on the same team, go for it, but you can't just throw a bunch of characters together and call it a faction. Each player must use the same number of points to "buy" characters for his faction; I recommend 30-point games, but any number is fine. You can spend leftover points on Hero markers, which cost 1 point each.

IV. Playing the Game

Each game turn goes through the following phases:

Movement Phase: characters move around the game area.
Observation Phase: characters examine any game markers they have found.
Shooting Phase: long-distance attacks take place.
Fighting Phase: close-quarters combat takes place.
Recovery Phase: characters who have been knocked out get a chance to recover themselves.
Victory Phase: see if one player has won the game.

All die rolls during the game are made with ten-sided dice (d10's) unless a rule says otherwise. The d6 is used mostly for making up scenarios.

The rules will mention "making a 'xxx' roll," where 'xxx' is a character rating. This means rolling one d10. If the result is less than or equal to the rating, the roll succeeds; if the roll is higher than the rating, the roll fails.

V. Movement

At the start of each turn, each player rolls a d10. Whoever wins gets to move his 15-point character(s) first; then the other player moves his 15-pointers. Make another activation roll for 12.5-pointers, then the 10-pointers, and so on, until all characters have moved. If one player has no characters of a given point value, the other player can move his characters of that value without rolling first. If more than two players are involved, whoever wins the roll goes first, and play then goes clockwise.

Any character can hold his movement until another character in his faction gets to move. So if you don't want your 15-point character to move until you see where the enemy's best fighter is going, you can announce that "So-and-so is holding his move." He can then move with your 10-point characters, or 5-pointers, or any other point value that's part of your faction.

Each character has a Speed rating that determines how fast that character can move. One unit of Speed translates into two inches of movement. A character does not have to move, and if he does move, he doesn't have to use his entire move allowance. Moving diagonally on the map squares is allowed.

A character's move ends the moment he moves adjacent to a character from another faction. A character cannot move away from a non-friendly character and then move next to that same character again in the same turn. Characters whose miniatures or bases are touching, or who are in adjacent map squares, are said to be adjacent.

Characters can move through friendly characters during their Movement phase. If you use maps with squares or hexes (like the ones that come with this game), two characters cannot end their turn in the same square or hex, unless one of the two is unconscious or dead. A character's mini must face in the direction he last moved. You can use 1" of movement to turn a character to a different facing once he's done moving.

V-a. Difficult Movement. Some kinds of movement, like climbing a sheer rock cliff or crossing a log bridge over a lava flow, require the character to make an Agile roll every turn, usually with a modifier based on the difficulty of the movement. The modifier must be spelled out as part of the scenario. If the character fails and isn't already making the difficult move, such as when he's getting onto a bridge or starting to climb a cliff, the character's move phase is done, but nothing worse happens. If the character is already doing the movement and fails the roll, he falls, usually with unpleasant results (which must also be described in the scenario).

When making a difficult move, one unit of Speed translates into one inch of movement, instead of two. You cannot combine a difficult move with any other kind of movement, except for two characters carrying one character (see below).

V-b. Charging. A character can choose to Charge instead of making a normal move. Charging gives the character an extra unit of Speed (2"). To Charge, the character cannot be adjacent to an enemy character at the start of the turn, and he must be adjacent to an enemy at the end. Charging gives the character a +2 in Fighting for the current turn. The victim of a Charge cannot move in the turn he was Charged. You cannot combine a Charge with any other special movement.

V-c. Dodging. A character can choose to Dodge instead of making a normal move. Dodging makes a character harder to hit in the Shoot phase. Dodging movement works the same as normal movement, except that the character loses half his movement (one inch from each unit of Speed). You cannot combine a Dodge with any other special movement.

V-d. Carrying. A character can pick up and carry an unconscious or dead character if he moves next to him. It takes one inch of movement to pick up a character. The one doing the carrying can usually move at only one inch per turn, regardless of his Speed, and he cannot shoot, fight, or do anything else except normal movement. If the carrying character's Tough is 5 or more, he can move at one inch per Speed unit.

If two characters carry an unconscious or dead character together, they can move one inch for every unit of Speed they have, moving at the Speed of the slower of the two. They still cannot shoot or fight. If they try a difficult move, both must succeed, or they both fail.

V-e. Doors. A character can spend 1" of movement to open a closed door, or to close an open door. Remove the Closed marker from the door, or put one there if you are closing it.

A character with a Key can spend 1" of movement to unlock and open a locked door; remove the Locked marker from the door. A character without a Key can smash a door open by spending 2" of movement and making a Tough roll. The 2" of movement is lost whether the roll succeeds or not. You can try this once per turn; up to two characters can try to smash the same door at a time. A character with a Key can also spend 1" of movement to close and lock an open door (unless that door has been smashed open in the past); place a Locked marker on the door.

V-f. Flying. If your faction includes rocket-men, jet-boot Nazis, or other flying characters, this calls for special rules.

A flying character needs two Speed ratings, one for flying and one for running. Use the higher value to determine the character's point value, and add 1 point for the flying ability.
A character can choose to take off or land at the beginning of his move, not in the middle or at the end of it. You must clearly identify whether a character is in the air or on the ground.
Flying is usually impossible indoors. Outdoors, a flying character can move anywhere, ignoring terrain penalties. Traps cannot affect him.
A character in the air can do nothing during the Observation Phase. He cannot pick up objects (although he can carry them if he picked them up while on the ground) and cannot carry other characters.
Shooting at a character in the air takes a -2 penalty on the Shoot roll. If such a character tries to Shoot from the air, he also takes a -2 penalty. That makes a -4 penalty if a flying character shoots at a flying target.
A character in the air cannot Fight or be Fought, even by another flying character.

VI. Observation

In this phase, any character who has entered a square with a game marker can roll to see if he can figure out what it is. Make an Agile roll; if it fails, the character hasn't seen the marker or can't figure it out, and nothing happens. If the roll succeeds, turn over the marker.

If the marker is a Trap, immediately resolve any actions it requires, and remove it from the game. If it's something you can pick up, like an Objective or a Key, put it aside and make a note of who is carrying it. If you find a Clue marker, turn it right-side up and leave it where you found it. When all the Clues have been found, place the Objective marker on the game area, as equidistant from all the Clues as possible, but not in contact with a character (if possible), and remove the Clues.

Also in this phase, a character can search an adjacent dead or unconscious character for any objects he might be carrying. If an Agile roll (subtract 3 from the roll) succeeds, he finds any and all such objects. If not, he finds nothing. The dead or unconscious character's player does not have to tell the searching player whether the character is carrying anything or not.

Finally, two adjacent characters can hand an object from one to the other in this phase.

VII. Shooting

In this phase, characters can use their ranged weapons. A character who Shoots cannot Fight, and vice-versa. Choose the Shooting order in the same way you choose Movement order -- high point characters go before low-valued characters, and roll a d10 to choose which player goes first for each point-value class.

To shoot, the attacker must have a weapon with a range of 1" or more. The target of a Shoot cannot be adjacent to the attacker, and there must be a line of sight from attacker to target, unbroken by any other character (except dead or unconscious ones). The target must be in the front 180° arc of the attacker.

Modifiers to a Shoot action:

+3 if the attacker did not move in the current turn.
+2 if the defender did not move in the current turn.
+1 if the attacker's weapon is a Tommy Gun.
-3 if the attacker Dodged during his Move phase.
-2 if the target Dodged during his Move phase.
-2 if the target is in cover (at least 50% hidden by terrain, or on a higher level of terrain).
-1 if the target is more than six inches away.

The attacker rolls a d10, adding his Shoot rating and any relevant modifiers. The defender rolls a d10 and adds his Agile rating. If the attacker's roll is higher, the shot hits.

If a shot hits, the target can shrug it off if he is tough enough. Roll a d10, add the defender's Tough, and subtract the Damage that the attacker's weapon does. If the roll is 10 or more, the shot did no harm.

If the Tough roll fails, the target loses one wound. A character who is reduced to 0 wounds is killed if the last wound is inflicted in a Shoot action. Lay that character flat and place a "Dead" marker on him.

VIII. Fighting

Fighting is hand-to-hand combat. Only adjacent units can Fight. The target must be in the front 180° arc of the attacker. A unit that shot in the Shoot phase cannot Fight. Choose the Fighting order in the same way you choose Movement order -- high point characters go before low-valued characters, and roll a d10 to choose which player goes first for each point-value class. If a character has no zero-ranged weapon, he is fighting with his fists. If he has such a weapon, he must choose whether he is using that weapon or relying on fists.

To Fight, each character rolls a d10 and adds his Tough rating. The attacker adds 2 if he Charged this turn, plus 2 if he is in the rear 180° arc of the target (hitting from behind), plus the damage done by his Fighting weapon, if any. If the attacker's roll is higher by 5 or more, the defender loses one wound. A character who is reduced to 0 wounds is killed if the last wound was inflicted by a weapon. If the last wound came from fists, the character is knocked unconscious; lay that character flat and place an Unconscious marker on him. Unconscious characters can't do anything until they recover.

If the attacker's roll was 4 higher than the defender's roll, the defender is knocked down and cannot move in the next Movement phase.

If the attacker's unmodified roll was higher by 1 to 3, the defender is knocked backwards. The attacker moves the defender's character back 1" in a direction of his choice, as long as it's away from the attacker. A defender who was knocked back cannot Charge in the next turn.

IX. Recovery Phase

Characters who have been knocked unconscious have a chance to recover themselves in this phase. A character cannot recover in the same turn in which he was knocked out. Make a Tough roll for each unconscious character. If it succeeds, he regains 1 wound and is no longer unconscious.

X. Winning the Game

Play for 16 turns, even if one faction has already fulfilled its victory conditions. If you make up your own scenario, the victory conditions must be clearly spelled out.

In case of multiple winners (or none), it's a tie.

XI. Sample Characters

This game comes with an Excel spreadsheet, PulpChar.xls, which defines over fifty character types. These are meant to be used with Patrick Crusiau's free downloadable paper figures at http://www.gwindel.eu/Jeux_de_roles.html, or you can use metal or resin minis if you prefer.

For an even quicker way to base your paper minis than the one provided by the author of the above site, assemble them according to the instructions, and cut a slot in the base about 1/4" deep. Assemble one of the bases that come with this game by folding it in half, gluing the halves together, and cutting a slot in the top (along the dotted line). Fit the base into the mini's base to make a cross shape. The bases can be shortened if you desire; they're made long to give support to figures with short bases of their own.

XI-a. Sample 30-Point Random Factions

These samples are meant for quickly making up factions for yourself. Some of them have their actions described; these are for non-player factions, to flesh out your game if you don't have enough players. Feel free to substitute high-priced characters for low-priced ones, and vice-versa.

The Police: one Police Sergeant, four Policemen. You can use the Police for a player faction, or they can be non-player characters to make life hard for the players. If non-players, they will pair off (the Sergeant will accompany one pair), and each pair will move toward the nearest non-Police character they can see, or towards the sound of shooting if they can see no one. Once in contact with a character, if the fighting hasn't started yet, they will stay in contact, hindering that character's movement while they ask a bunch of police-type questions. They won't Fight or Shoot first, but as soon as any Policeman is the target of a Fight or Shoot, or as soon as any character fires a shot in a Policeman's sight, they will all try to take out every member of every faction involved in violence, using extreme prejudice.
The Crooks: one Crime Boss, one Triggerman, one Enforcer, one Gun Moll.
The Street Gang: one Gang Leader, two Gang Members, one Street Punk.
The Zombies: six Zombies. These are meant to be non-player characters, either for solo play or to complicate things for multiple players. They will move at full speed (which ain't much) toward the nearest non-zombie they can see, and then Fight him until one or the other is unconscious. On the following turn, one Zombie will stay with the unconscious character and eat his brains (he's dead); the others will chase another victim. If they can see no characters, they won't move.
The Commies: one Officer, two Femmes Fatales, two Anarchists.
The Fascists: one Officer, one Femme Fatale, three Nazi Thugs.
The Red Scallop Sect: one Cult Priest, four Cult Initiates.
The Fishmen: one Greater Fishman, two Lesser Fishmen, five Hero Markers. These can be player characters or NPC's. If non-player, they will always move toward the closest non-Fishman they see, and attack. They won't move if no characters are in sight.
The Aliens: two Greater Aliens, two Lesser Aliens.
The G-Men: one Plainclothes (male or female), two FBI Agents.
The Private Eye: one Detective, one Detective's Dame, one Streetwalker, one Hired Gun.
The Explorers' Club: one British Colonel or French Explorer, one Big Game Hunter, one Lady Adventurer, one Scientist.
The Bund: one Bavarian Explorer or Mad Scientist, one Steam Suit, one Nazi Thug, two Hero Markers. Note that Steam Suits cannot make any kind of special movement.
The Primitives: one Primitive Chief, one Primitive Berzerker, two Primitive Archers.
The Mystics: one Mystic Knight, one Mystic Apprentice, five Hero Markers.
The Ninjas: two Ninjas, five Hero markers.
The Monsters: three Swamp Monsters, or two Crocodiles and a Dragon. These must be non-player characters. Each will move to attack the nearest player character. For fun, don't put them on the game board, but designate certain trap markers to reveal a monster instead of springing a trap. "You found a pit, and guess what's in it..."

XII. Making Scenarios

The game comes with materials for three kinds of adventure, along with some valuable objectives for the characters to find -- the Hidden Entrance, the Kidnapped Girl, the Sardinian Skull, the Excole Diamond, the Text of Economicon 101, and the Idol of Oksar.

The first scenario is a "Treasure Hunt" set in a city warehouse. Choose an objective, make up some background fluff to explain why it's so important, and have each player choose a goal from the table below by rolling a d6. They must not reveal their goals to each other! The clash of conflicting objectives is a big part of the fun of this game.

The second scenario is a "Jungle Hunt." It plays the same as the Treasure Hunt, but has a different "feel" and uses different traps and objectives (not many Kidnapped Girls in the depths of the Amazon jungle, you know). You'll probably use different character factions in the jungle as well. More Explorers and Primitives, fewer Police and Street Gangs.

The third scenario is in the "Underground Caves," and can conceivably bring any and all factions together. The purpose of the Hidden Entrance is so the characters can find the beginning of the Caves, thus linking two adventures together.

As a possible fourth scenario, the game comes with two additional tiles, a "Town Park" tile and a "Graveyard" tile.

Note that, if you use the Sardinian Skull as your objective, it has some abilities of its own, as described in the table below.

If you get into this kind of gaming, you'll want to create more complex scenarios. Go for it! Just make sure that all the players know the rules beforehand.

Random Scenario Goals

Roll Goal

1 Find the objective and move it off the board on the side you entered.

2 Find the objective and move it off the board on the side opposite where you entered.

3 Find the objective and destroy it by shooting it with a ranged weapon, once per turn in each of three turns (any such weapon automatically hits; the three turns don't have to be consecutive).

4 Prevent anyone from moving the objective off the board in 16 turns. You cannot touch it.

5 Wipe out the other faction. If more than two factions are playing, choose one by die roll before the action begins.

6 Wipe out the other faction. If more than two factions are playing, choose one by die roll before the action begins.

If the objective is the Kidnapped Girl, reroll #3.

Random Scenario Goals
Roll	Goal
1	Find the objective and move it off the board on the side you entered.
2	Find the objective and move it off the board on the side opposite where you entered.
3	Find the objective and destroy it by shooting it with a ranged weapon, once per turn in each of three turns (any such weapon automatically hits; the three turns don't have to be consecutive).
4	Prevent anyone from moving the objective off the board in 16 turns. You cannot touch it.
5	Wipe out the other faction. If more than two factions are playing, choose one by die roll before the action begins.
6	Wipe out the other faction. If more than two factions are playing, choose one by die roll before the action begins.

If the objective is the Hidden Entrance, treat rolls of 1-3 as "find the entrance, unlock it like any other door, and enter it." Treat #4 as "keep any other faction from finding it for 16 turns." You'll need a couple of Key markers to make this work. This objective is good for two linked scenarios; first, they have to find the entrance to the underground caves; then they have another adventure in those caves.

Powers of the Sardinian Skull

Any time a character starts a turn carrying the Skull, roll a d6 and consult the following table:

Roll Effect

1 Nothing happens.

2 Nothing happens.

3 The Skull heals one wound if the character has suffered any.

4 There is a bright flash of light, and the character instantly changes places with any other player character between 6 and 9 inches away. Neither of these characters can move this turn. The player to the Skull-carrier player's right chooses which character swaps with the Skull-carrier.

5 The character's arms are paralyzed. He cannot Shoot or Fight this turn.

6 The Skull heats itself red-hot, and inflicts one wound on the character if he fails a Tough roll.

Powers of the Sardinian Skull
Any time a character starts a turn carrying the Skull, roll a d6 and consult the following table:
Roll	Effect
1	Nothing happens.
2	Nothing happens.
3	The Skull heals one wound if the character has suffered any.
4	There is a bright flash of light, and the character instantly changes places with any other player character between 6 and 9 inches away. Neither of these characters can move this turn. The player to the Skull-carrier player's right chooses which character swaps with the Skull-carrier.
5	The character's arms are paralyzed. He cannot Shoot or Fight this turn.
6	The Skull heats itself red-hot, and inflicts one wound on the character if he fails a Tough roll.

XIII. Game Tables

Weapons Table
Weapon	Range	Damage
Brass knuckles	0"	1
Whip	0"	1 (see below)
Knife	0"	2
Club	0"	3
Sword	0"	4
Laser Sword	0"	5
Bow/arrow	9"	4
Handgun	9"	5
Rifle	15"	5
Tommy gun	6"	6
Lasergun	6"	7
Bomb	6"	6 on adjacent character, 4 on all other characters within 2". Use once per game.
Mystic	Special (see below)

Weapons with a range of 0" can be used only for Fighting. Weapons with a range greater than 0" can be used only for Shooting.

Special rule for Whip: a character with a Whip can choose to Trip or Tangle an enemy character instead of causing a wound. Announce your intent to Trip or Tangle, and roll for a hit as usual. If it hits, a Trip will knock the enemy down; he cannot fight this turn, and he cannot move in his next Movement phase (he spends the phase getting up). A Tangle keeps the enemy from fighting or shooting in his next shoot and fight phases. In either case, the character with the Whip cannot move in his next Movement phase unless he gives up the Whip, in which case he cannot use it again for the rest of the game. An attempted Trip or Tangle will not knock the defender back.

Special rule for Mystic: if a character with the Mystic "weapon" is not adjacent to any enemy characters, that character can do one of the following each turn instead of shooting or fighting:

Fear. The Mystic chooses a place on the map no more than 12" away, to which he has line of sight. All non-friendly characters within 4" of that place must move their full move straight away from it in their next Movement Phase.
Surprize. The Mystic's player automatically wins one roll for going first (movement, shooting, or fighting) this turn. The player chooses which roll to win, and he must do so before making that roll.
Ruthless Efficiency. One character in the Mystic's faction can add +3 to a Shoot action this turn. You must announce which roll you are guiding before making the roll.
Fanatical Devotion. Any character in this faction who has suffered a wound can transfer that wound to any other character in the faction.

Traps Table

d6 Roll Trap Type Effects

1 Bomb Trap You triggered a bomb! All nearby characters suffer an immediate attack by a Bomb (see the Weapons Table). This trap can be used anywhere.

2 Net Trap A net falls from above, ensnaring you! Put a Net marker on the character. In the next Fight/Shoot Phase, he must roll a 2 or less to get free (3 or less if the character uses a Knife or Sword, 4 or less for a Laser Sword); otherwise, he remains stuck. An adjacent friendly character can use his Fight/Shoot phase to try to free the trapped character; roll a 2 or less as above to succeed. Remove the Net marker when the character escapes. This trap can be used anywhere.

3 Covered Pit You fell into a pit! Leave the Pit marker on the map. The character who finds this marker, and all other characters within 1" of the marker, fall into a pit unless they make an Agile roll. Such characters cannot Shoot, and can only Fight if the enemy is also in the pit. In the Movement phase, each character in a pit must roll less than the sum of his Agile and Tough scores; if he succeeds, he can climb out, and can move normally on the following turn. If not, he remains in the pit until next turn. The Pit marker stays on the map; any other character who enters this square must make an Agile check or fall in. This trap cannot be used in buildings.

4 Arrow Trap An arrow shoots out of a wall or tree stump! The character suffers an immediate Shoot attack from a weapon with a Damage of 3. This trap can be used anywhere.

5 Deadfall Trap A large heavy object falls! The character suffers an immediate Shoot attack from a weapon with a Damage of 5. This trap can be used anywhere.

6 Snake Trap You dislodge something, revealing a poisonous snake! If your character makes an Agile check, the snake can do no harm. Otherwise, roll a d6 to see how many wounds the snake's bite will inflict. The character can try to avoid death by making a Tough check for each wound. This trap can be used anywhere.

Traps Table
d6 Roll	Trap Type	Effects
1	Bomb Trap	You triggered a bomb! All nearby characters suffer an immediate attack by a Bomb (see the Weapons Table). This trap can be used anywhere.
2	Net Trap	A net falls from above, ensnaring you! Put a Net marker on the character. In the next Fight/Shoot Phase, he must roll a 2 or less to get free (3 or less if the character uses a Knife or Sword, 4 or less for a Laser Sword); otherwise, he remains stuck. An adjacent friendly character can use his Fight/Shoot phase to try to free the trapped character; roll a 2 or less as above to succeed. Remove the Net marker when the character escapes. This trap can be used anywhere.
3	Covered Pit	You fell into a pit! Leave the Pit marker on the map. The character who finds this marker, and all other characters within 1" of the marker, fall into a pit unless they make an Agile roll. Such characters cannot Shoot, and can only Fight if the enemy is also in the pit. In the Movement phase, each character in a pit must roll less than the sum of his Agile and Tough scores; if he succeeds, he can climb out, and can move normally on the following turn. If not, he remains in the pit until next turn. The Pit marker stays on the map; any other character who enters this square must make an Agile check or fall in. This trap cannot be used in buildings.
4	Arrow Trap	An arrow shoots out of a wall or tree stump! The character suffers an immediate Shoot attack from a weapon with a Damage of 3. This trap can be used anywhere.
5	Deadfall Trap	A large heavy object falls! The character suffers an immediate Shoot attack from a weapon with a Damage of 5. This trap can be used anywhere.
6	Snake Trap	You dislodge something, revealing a poisonous snake! If your character makes an Agile check, the snake can do no harm. Otherwise, roll a d6 to see how many wounds the snake's bite will inflict. The character can try to avoid death by making a Tough check for each wound. This trap can be used anywhere.

Making a Warehouse

Modules Instructions

Corner w/ Office Side Wall Side Wall Corner Print enough warehouse pieces to make the plan at left.
Make a 4x4 square of floor pieces, as shown. The corners with offices contain desks and file cabinets; those squares cannot be entered. Each office has a door to the street and a door into the warehouse. Tile #4 has an optional normal-sized door and an optional double-width roll-up door, if you need more entrances.
Assemble the small crates from the floor-tile pages; print and assemble 1-3 Large Crates; and spread them around the warehouse, making sure each crate stays in one map square, or four squares for the big ones. A large crate completely blocks line of sight; small crates provide cover. Characters can jump onto and off of small crates, or from small ones to adjacent large ones (difficult move, subtract 3 from the roll); failure causes a wound unless the player makes a Tough roll (subtract 3 from the roll).

Side Wall Interior Interior Side Wall

Side Wall Interior Interior Side Wall

Corner Side Wall Side Wall Corner w/ Office

Making a Warehouse
Modules	Instructions
Corner w/ Office	Side Wall	Side Wall	Corner	Print enough warehouse pieces to make the plan at left. Make a 4x4 square of floor pieces, as shown. The corners with offices contain desks and file cabinets; those squares cannot be entered. Each office has a door to the street and a door into the warehouse. Tile #4 has an optional normal-sized door and an optional double-width roll-up door, if you need more entrances. Assemble the small crates from the floor-tile pages; print and assemble 1-3 Large Crates; and spread them around the warehouse, making sure each crate stays in one map square, or four squares for the big ones. A large crate completely blocks line of sight; small crates provide cover. Characters can jump onto and off of small crates, or from small ones to adjacent large ones (difficult move, subtract 3 from the roll); failure causes a wound unless the player makes a Tough roll (subtract 3 from the roll).
Side Wall	Interior	Interior	Side Wall
Side Wall	Interior	Interior	Side Wall
Corner	Side Wall	Side Wall	Corner w/ Office

Making a Jungle

Modules Instructions

Jungle Jungle w/ Plateau Jungle Jungle Print enough jungle pieces to make the plan at left.
Make a 4x4 square of jungle pieces, as shown. You can replace Plateau sections with Clearings or plain Jungle sections if you have no use for Plateaus in your adventure.
Going from ground level to Plateau, or vice-versa, is a difficult move (subtract 3 from the roll); failure causes a wound unless the player makes a Tough roll (subtract 2 from the roll). Trees serve as cover, but squares with trees cannot be entered.

Jungle Jungle Clearing Jungle Jungle w/ Plateau

Jungle w/ Plateau Jungle Jungle Clearing Jungle

Jungle Jungle Jungle w/ Plateau Jungle

Making a Jungle
Modules	Instructions
Jungle	Jungle w/ Plateau	Jungle	Jungle	Print enough jungle pieces to make the plan at left. Make a 4x4 square of jungle pieces, as shown. You can replace Plateau sections with Clearings or plain Jungle sections if you have no use for Plateaus in your adventure. Going from ground level to Plateau, or vice-versa, is a difficult move (subtract 3 from the roll); failure causes a wound unless the player makes a Tough roll (subtract 2 from the roll). Trees serve as cover, but squares with trees cannot be entered.
Jungle	Jungle Clearing	Jungle	Jungle w/ Plateau
Jungle w/ Plateau	Jungle	Jungle Clearing	Jungle
Jungle	Jungle	Jungle w/ Plateau	Jungle

Making Underground Caves

Modules Instructions

O--
|
--O--
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--O--
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--O
|
Print off as many cave pieces as you need to make your chosen floorplan.
Make a 4x4 square of cave pieces. The example on the left is one suggested floor plan; there are many ways you can assemble the tiles. In this example, the entrance is on the right end of the second row.

|
O--
|
|
--O
|
O
|
O--
|

|
O--
|

--O

O--
|
|
--O
|

|
O--

-----
|
--O--
|
--O

NOTE: Any of these adventure maps can be made bigger if you wish. 2x2 feet (16 tiles) is only the minimum size.

Making Underground Caves
Modules	Instructions
O-- \|	--O-- \|	--O-- \|	--O \|	Print off as many cave pieces as you need to make your chosen floorplan. Make a 4x4 square of cave pieces. The example on the left is one suggested floor plan; there are many ways you can assemble the tiles. In this example, the entrance is on the right end of the second row.
\| O-- \|	\| --O	\| O	\| O-- \|
\| O-- \|	--O	O-- \|	\| --O \|
\| O--	-----	\| --O--	\| --O

XIV. Designer's Notes

I confess, I know next to nothing about pulp gaming. But those cool after-action reports on theminiaturespage.com really got my interest. The interactions of multiple factions, each with their own agenda, make the typical WWII battle seem almost tame by comparison. I wanted in on that kind of action, but I thought it would be fun to make my own rules.

The game mechanics mean that gunshots won't hit very often, which should encourage the players to rely heavily on fisticuffs, which seems appropriate for the genre.