Wednesday, 7 December 2016

Pulp Alley AAR – The Gate Beyond the Stars Campaign – The Stone from Beyond the Stars

It’s time for the second adventure in the club campaign.
The Stone from Beyond the Stars
The leagues lick their wounds after the last rather bloody affair, and distribute band-aid to bleeding members. Suddenly the sky is lit up by a strange light. A meteor is falling and seem to land not too far away.
Anders Einstein read the last articles by professor Arkley and understands that the meteor could be the Key of the Gods that Arkley prophesied would “be sent through the Cosmic Portal” on this specific day.

Is it a coincidence or is the meteor in fact the Key? Anders collects his compatriots and hurries to where the meteor was seen to crash. This must be investigated.
Unfortunately there are more leagues about, and they seem just as interested in the meteor.
Mellor's Field. Plot-points circled in red. Special plot-points are the farmer John Mellor by the barn (he can point you to the crater), Professor Henry l. Garfield close to the fence in the bottom of the pic (he can also point you towards the crater, but he is crafty - draw two cards and let the opposition chose the most difficult) and The Still by the dead oak (unlock it and you will also get 1d3 bottles of John Mellor's very potent booze (each can be used once (in any adventure) and the character will count as Speedy for the rest of the scenario (and probably hung over the day after...)).
The meteor-crater is the Majot Plot Point and can only be found if someone unlocks either Mellor och Garfield and will then be placed in the middle of the field. Unlocking it will can have all sorts of strange effects. It is also extremely perilous. All leagues can have a go at it to gain an effect, but only the first league gets the major plot point.
Leagues circled.
The crypto-evil Swedish Crypto-Section IV, Group T (bolstered with some resurrected berserkers) sets up very close to the courageous Swede Anders Einstein and his Non-Relativistic League.
The cops from BOMD
Finally The Masonic League of Enigmatic Purpose.
Read more about the leagues here
Here comes the cavalry, or rather heavily armed State Troopers,  tasked with protecting the meteor from all outside interference. They are allowed to use deadly force, if necessary (they are US cops, after all, and we do use all clichés here)
The first round don't allow shooting and every league moves to position themselves well and be ready to grab plot points the next round. Two clumsy cultists from the Masonic League hurt themselves while trying to jump over a fence. Much laughter from everyone except Jeppan.
It begins with Group T trying to grab some old manuscripts littering the field. They fail and projects their disappointment with a burst of machine-gun fire on the totally innocent and angelic robots and androids of  the very friendly Anders' league.
Due to that totally unprovoked violence Anders orders his minions to attack. A steel-hard fist (it is actually steel, high quality Swedish stainless to be precise) to the mouth and one berserker is down. What a pitiful example of a great Nordic heritage.
Hans de Laval (he looks a bit different from the last battle) moves up and disposes the pesky Svea Livgarde soldier. We rule!
Professor Axiom does unfortunately charm Professor Garfield, who in turn points out where the crater is situated. Strangely enough it is in the middle of the field, and it seems nobody noticed it before in the faint dawn-light and mists.
Notice Lars de Laval, readying his plasma rifle. This is the last you will see of him, I'm afraid. He was noticed before he could do anything, and quickly disposed of.
Two characters immediately makes a run for the crater to be able to snatch the meteor, or hopefully The Key. One goes down.
Anders Einstein starts to explain why the Theory of Relativity is a hoax to farmer Mellor. The poor chap gets all confused and in an effort to get rid of the strangely dressed man with a heavy Swedish accent he points out the location of a blooming big crater that sprouted from his field just hours ago. Greta de Laval rushes Ms Eviline without accomplishing much.
End of turn and the State Troopers move to protect the crater. They politely ask everyone to move back and then blast away.
Quite successfully, one might add!
And again. A good end-of-round!
Round three is about to start. 
The most shocking event so far. Maggie Mayhem shoots one of the State Troopers. In cold blood. Without warning. The poor chap, a father of seven, just out doing his job, is murdered. In front of several witnesses.
The most disturbing part is Jeppan. He cackles gleefully. Sickening. I have a photo to prove it. It is on its way to the state attorney.
Even worse! It not just a murder, it's serial murders, as Rocky Earp shoots another Trooper. This is just awful.
I'm shocked to the core. Jeppan laughs even harder. I swear I can see horns sprouting from his head.
Plåt-Niklas falls from a burst.
Greta de Laval takes out the pesky Evilina, but she will unfortunately recuperate in the end of the round.
Hans de Laval takes his revenge!
Plåt-Petter and a berserker have a go at each other and both fall. The berserker is a follower so he is immediately removed while Plåt-Petter is an ally and have a chance to recuperate in the round-end. As he will.
It's time for the Troopers. They are seriously annoyed and lets go with all they got. 
But with next no no effect.
The beginning of round four. 
Plåt-Petter is felled by one of the Group T goons...
... and Lieut. Andersson shoots Plåt-Niklas. Things are looking grim.
Two of the Masonic League gets blown to bits (I think it was a peril)
The fight in the crater continues as more people pile in. Unfortunately Mr HP Castrullecraft manages to unlock the Major Plot Point, gaining the Major Plot Point for the Masonic League and a strange effect for himself.
Greta fires at Eviline to no effect, and Eviline answers with a blast of otherwordly energy. Greta is made of stern stuff and ignores the mumbo-jumbo.
Another outrage!
It seems the corrupt cops from BOMD don't have any objections to murdering their fellow policemen. Their leader, Special Agent Dick Dalton, shoots another trooper in cold blood. 
The fight in the crater goes on, and Constable Dimir falls once again.
The turn ends with the single remaing Trooper shooting at Colonel Kazim Ögul that has just retrieved another plot point. It hurts at least a little bit.
Round five, and the playing field on the field is severely reduced.
Professor Axiom succeeds in finding a piece of the meteor, but it turns out to be an ordinary, if hot, piece of space rock. We all laugh at the misfortune. Well, except Ulf, of course.
Kazim takes his revenge. Another cop-kills-cop. This is getting very unsettling.
Dalton uses one of the pieces of fire-works he found last adventure and shoots it at the two Masonic League members who are trying to unlock the plot point. Rocky Earp goes down.
The last round and a final push to grab plot-points or see to it that other leagues loose theirs.
Greta de Laval rushes in and snatches the plot point from under the noses of the opposition.  What a girl... or android, rather.
Fierce fighting starts and men, women, robots and androids fall right and left while people pile in to join the fun.
Sneaky shots from behind from the cop-killer cops of BOMD.
With that the game is over. Each league got two minor plot points, except the Masonic League that got the major plot point. 
What a game! Another great example of why I think Pulp Alley is so much fun.
A big thanks to Jeppan who wrote the adventure and my condolences to the widows and orphans of the murdered State Troopers. You will be avenged.


  1. Bombs and bullets everywhere! What a bloody affair! Smashing stuff!

    1. I don't know why, but our games tend to be very bloody. Could be four leagues on the table at the same time... could be that we like to shoot more than think... nah!

  2. That was lots of fun! Those poor innocent, trigger-happy cops!

    1. It was and the cops were a great part of the scenario as they were a constant nuisance and actually did quite a lot of damage. For once my league not the target!

  3. THANKS for playing and sharing Pulp Alley!