Pulp Alley is one of those wonderful little skirmish games which allows you into a world which can be inhabited by the likes of ‘The Shadow’, ‘The Spider’, or more recent concepts such as Indiana Jones, the purple-clad Phantom. or even Batman in a pinch.
First reviewed back in November 2013, Pulp Alley has recently added a nice expansion book; Vice Alley.
I have to say Pulp Alley became one of my favourite miniature games about the time I got to the rules section for creating your own ‘league’.
“It is important to note that the character creation rules cover all types of characters, be they human, beast, robot, or whatever,” states the basic rulebook. “It is simply a matter of selecting the abilities and skills that fit the character you want to portray.
“Beyond the general basing rules and a smidgen of common sense, it is up to the individual player to decide what model best represents their character.”
The new expansion grows the game.
“Dad & I are thrilled to welcome you to our fourth Pulp Alley book. Vice Alley introduces two new character types (Gangs and Associates), ten new perks, over two dozen new abilities, and rules for Bystanders becoming involved in the scenarios. We have also included a handful of abilities from our Perilous Island expansion. Lastly, Vice Alley includes a thrilling, open-ended campaign that reminds me of Dad’s favorite old pulp magazines and adventure serials.
“With a sinister mastermind and a villainous plot to stop, Vice Alley plays just like the vintage chapter movies such as The Spider’s Web (1938), The Fighting Devil Dogs (1938), The Green Hornet (1940), The Shadow (1940), Gang Busters (1942), The Crimson Ghost (1946) and so many more. But this time, your characters are the heroes and villains,” wrote Mila Phipps in the book’s introduction.
In an interview Mila said fans of the game are always asking for new material; Old West, Horror, Victorian, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and more. I can see fans thinking Victorian-steampunk as it is a sister genre to pulp to start with, with a number of common threads.
Mila added they see it as essential to keep your fan base active.
“We are lucky to have players that really like to share feedback with us, and we find it valuable and helpful. Dad continues to be the main “idea guy”, but he is very open to suggestions and adjustments.
“Our little daughter-and-dad operation is not ‘professional’ enough to think in those terms. First and foremost, we are Pulp Alley “players”, so we focus on the things we want to play. We write a new expansion simply because we want it for our games. And we feel very lucky that there are other players that like the same things we do,” she offered.
Of the two additions, Associates are the more intriguing.
“Associates can represent a wide array of supporting characters such as a helpful butler, secretary, taxi driver, mentor, familiar, journalist, bartender, professor, librarian, swami, nightclub singer, scientist, and so on. An Associate takes one roster slot, but they do not appear on the table or count towards effects that help or hinder their colleagues. Instead, these characters work behind the scenes and occasionally provide additional resources and temporary bonuses,” details the rulebook.
Every pulp hero had their supporting cast, Batman’s butler Alfred a prime example, so the ability to include in Pulp Alley is perfect in terms of theme.
The expansion also adds more ability choices for players, and more scenarios to play through.
Both are positive in the sense they add character diversity in terms of abilities, and replay ability by adding new scenarios to explore.
There are even rules for bystanders in the game, and how they can become involved in a scenario. Most miniature games tend to work off the premise no one other than the combatants are in the area, which in a pulp city scenario would not always be the case. How you interact with a shoe shine boy on the street corner when battling a gang adds some realism to the encounters of Pulp Alley. It’s a nice touch in terms of game play.
Overall, this is a game rich in gaming goodness. The pulp-era theme is one which allows for anything from magic wielding mandarins, to soldiers with jet packs, invading aliens, and of course any pulp hero one might imagine.
The ruleset is simple enough, and now added nicely with ‘Vice Alley’, to get into quickly, but diverse enough to offer a lot of options when building your league.
Add the fact you can use minis that you already have on-hand to save money, and Pulp Alley is among the best of the skirmish miniature game genre.
www.pulpalley.com
