[Recruiting] Interest check for a pulp-based RP

[Auto Destruct]

This might be a bit early for me to be asking about something like this, but I don't know if people are still interested in the rather dead roleplays sitting around that really interest me, and I really don't know much about Guild Wars. So, I'm thinking that maybe something new could breathe a little bit more life into the roleplaying aspect of these forums.

A genre -- or, rather, a state of mind -- that's always interested me is pulp. Back in the 1920s up to the late 1950s, pulp magazines were these extremely cheap and cheaply-made magazines that published fiction stories from various authors. They were almost universally printed on cheap, thick, yellow-ish paper that was called "pulp," which is where the pulp magazines got their name.

While pulp magazines always contained tons of stories, from westerns to horror to romance, these tales were almost always about a frantic, fast-pace and excitement with more than a hint of mystery behind it all. They were tailor-made to keep you hooked until the end, just like those TV and radio shows that always had episodes end on a cliffhanger or an action-packed soap opera.

Now, the Golden Age of the pulps were the 1930s and the 1940s, when "hero pulps" such as The Shadow, Doc Savage and The Spider were extremely popular. However, Edgar Rice Burroughs (who made Tarzan and John Carter of Mars -- two extremely pulp heroes in their own right), Robert E. Howard (creator of Conan the Barbarian), Isaac Asimov, Dashiell Hammett (creator of Sam Spade and the Continental Op), L. Ron Hubbard, H.P. Lovecraft and countless other famous authors all got their start in the pulps, proving the pulps' immense variety.

Since the heyday of the pulps, many have taken inspiration from those serial stories. Early Batman and Superman stories were especially pulpy, in the style of The Shadow and Doc Savage respectively. The Spider was also an indirect influence on Spider-Man, and that's just the start of it! Indiana Jones, The Mummy, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Star Wars, The Rocketeer, Atomic Robo, Planetary, Tom Strong, Uncharted and Crimson Skies, among others, all homage the daring-do action and weirdness of the pulps.

Even characters outside of the pulps have a very pulp feel. Sherlock Holmes, James Bond and Allan Quartermain all share that larger-than-life characteristic of hero pulps, the much-earlier authors H.G. Wells and Jules Verne both capture the later adventure and fantasy of Astonishing Tales and Weird Tales, and Golden Age comic-book heroes like the Spirit, The Sandman (Wesley Dodds -- the one with the gas mask and gas gun), The Phantom, Tintin, Captain America and Flash Gordon are unquestionably inspired by pulp magazines and eventually inspired more than a century's worth of successful fiction.

That's about all I can personally explain about the pulps. There's also http://www.fantasylibrary.com/lounge/pulpavengers.htm, a fantastic essay by Brian Misiazsek that covers the pulps, their legacy AND, most importantly, how to RP them. I've got a conceptual idea for a pulp campaign and wouldn't mind holding it (although, I still have yet to prove myself as a dedicated and decent roleplayer among you guys, so I might not be allowed to do that yet), but I certainly wouldn't mind if an interested, much more regular member wanted to create a forum and hold their own. I would definitely dedicate myself to any sort of roleplay in this mold. :]

Whatever happens, I'm still going to throw out this interest check and see if anyone at all would eventually become interested in a pulp campaign. Maybe some of you have a hidden love for these exciting stories!

[Meteoro]

Hey, Auto Destruct (I think it was Zack, lol). I'm not that familiar with pulp stories, but the feel is interesting and I guess it would be fun to play in such a setting. And since I'm just rejoining the forum (I was away for quite a while), it would be great to be at the starting point of a story/campaign. I might need a little help with the pulp environment, but count me in.
As for creating an area for these kind of stories, they're always very flexible in here, so don't worry about that.
Now, let's see if more people is into this.

[Banshee]

Greeting from me as well. I've just joined too and I'd like to join a story line from the very beginning. I have never played in a pulp setting, but that I think that this kind of noir feeling should be really interesting so if you have the patience to guide me in if I'm too out of setting I will be more than happy to join.

[Auto Destruct]

Woo! That makes three people! Including myself, I mean.

If this helps any, pulp normally takes place in an idealized, uplifting and light-hearted version of the 1930s and 1940s. Often, everything's black and white; the heroes (often aviators, scientists, professional treasure hunters, detectives, bored millionaires and other really extravagant, often-idealized careers) are handsome and the villains (often Nazis, cults, criminal overlords, stock movie monsters, serial killers, mythological beings, sorcerers, cosmic horrors, aliens, etc.) are vile. There's also very little focus on the effects of the Great Depression -- hence all those bored millionaires -- but it's not entirely absent at all.

Some very good inspirational materials include the Fleischer Superman shorts (probably somewhere on Youtube), the Indiana Jones movies, The Mummy starring Brendan Fraser, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, The Rocketeer, Star Wars and pretty much every Golden Age comic book. In the realm of the (slightly) more obscure, the old El Santo movies are also great. They're weird, over-the-top and just feel extremely pulpy, despite being made in the '50s, '60s and '70s. Last, but not least, you can find a lot of old pulpy e-books on the Internet. Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes and A Princess of Mars are both in the public domain, I believe, and are a pretty good place to start.

[Meteoro]

Sounds good. I think I'm getting the vibe of this setting. Just, like in Banshee's case, I might need a little guide while playing just so you're a bit patient, lol.

I also sent a PM to one of the admins of the forum so he checks this out, in case you need anything to get this started.

[Lairston]

The forum has been created under the Adventure genre. If you'd like a different name for it let me know.

[Meteoro]

Awesome, Gary Thanks!

[Quaxo9]

Ooo - sweet! I LOVE this stuff! Seriously.

My inclusion would depend solely on the speed of posting, for me. I don't tend to have a HUGE amount of output - though, again, if this style is super dialogue-y I can put up stuff quicker. I'm not online all day (though sometimes it seems like it) so I'm limited there too. So - depending on elasticity of players and whether I can keep my nose out of it - yeah...heh, typical me. I tend to just read and jump in with a character in an area that seems lacking within the setting. I'll start lurking...

[Auto Destruct]

Good news, everyone! The OOC forum is up!