by

Brian A Liberge
Edited by Jim White

A Beer star Games Production

Pulp! is a role-playing system that encourages creative play

through minimal, dynamic rules. It highlights the action-oriented
heroes of Pulp Magazines, who fight against the strange and
phenomenal. The Player Characters (PCs) are the stars of the
stories. The Game Master (GM) controls the world and Non-
Player Characters (NPCs). Each character fits on a playing card
for fast play you can take with you anywhere. The goal is to have
fun telling stories together.

Playing the Game
The GM takes turns with the players, with the GM introducing
new story elements and the players responding. Its important to
collaborate but the GM has final say on the limits of the story.

Once a high stress situation begins, such as combat, its time to
enter Initiative. The character that triggered the action takes the
first turn. Each turn a character can make any number of
Mundane Actions leading up to one Test, Contest, Aid, Create
Asset, or Repair action. Once the turn is resolved, the player or
GM controlling that character chooses any character that has not
taken a turn to go next. The last person to take their turn starts
the sequence again, choosing who begins the next round of turns.
This continues until the scene is resolved.

Actions
Mundane Action: Any action that is particularly easy
considering a characters abilities. These actions automatically
succeed. In a particularly difficult situation an action that was
previously Mundane may call for a Test, as determined by the
GM.

Tests: Tests are used to determine the outcome of difficult
situations. Tests are resolved by rolling a six sided die. You add
one relevant Ability Score AND one relevant Trait or Asset
modifier to the result of the die to get your Total. A Total that
meets or exceeds the Difficulty is a Success. A Total lower than
the Difficulty is a Failure.

A result of 6 on the die OR a Total that exceeds the Difficulty by 6
or more is an Outstanding Success. This grants the Character an
additional benefit, often a lower Difficulty on related actions, as
determined by the GM.

A result of 1 on the die OR a Total of 2 or lower is a
Complication. This results in greater consequences that may put
the character in an undesirable situation or create a higher
Difficulty on related actions, as determined by the GM.

Difficulty is determined by the GM using the following

guidelines:
1-3: A Mundane Action that most could complete without failing.
4-6: A Skilled Action requires some talent or training.
7-9: An Expert Action requires great talent or years of training.
10-13: A Master Action is difficult for even trained experts.
14+: A Legendary Action will be retold by bards in song.

Contests: A Contest is when two characters are working in direct
opposition. The initiating character rolls first and then the
targeted character rolls a reaction, both adding in modifiers as
with a Test. The higher Total wins the Contest. The difference
between the two scores is the Margin of Success.

Characters can attack another characters Abilities with a Contest.
A successful attacking character reduces the reacting characters
Ability Score by the Margin of Success. A successful reacting
character can also reduce the attacking characters Ability Score
by the Margin of Success, as long as it narratively makes sense.

The rules for Outstanding Success and Failure still apply with the
consequences determined by the GM. A reacting character that
has a lower Total but achieved an Outstanding Success never
loses Ability Score. Should both characters achieve Outstanding
Success then both characters displayed incredible skill, but
neither character achieved victory.

Aid: Aid adds a +1 Bond modifier to an allys next roll. You can
use multiple Aid bonuses on one action, to a maximum of +5.

Create Asset: Any beneficial effect that lasts more than one turn
is an Asset. Players can use their action to create an Asset by
succeeding on a Test, with the Difficulty set by the GM.

Assets created during initiative are generally temporary. The
bonus on temporary Assets is equal to the margin of success. If it
makes sense for an Asset to last longer than one scene, the bonus
granted becomes +1 at the end of the scene. You may add it to
your Asset list.

Repair: Add one point of Vigor back to an Asset. You can never
exceed the Assets original Vigor Rank in this way.

Recovery
Between scenes each character can make one Recovery Action.
Characters who take extended downtime may take several
recovery actions as determined by the GM.

A Personal Recovery Action allows a character to add a point
back to an Ability Score that has been reduced. You can never go
over your original Ability Rank in this way.

An Inspiring Action allows a character to add a point to an allys
Ability Score. The Inspiring character has to have a higher Ability
Rank than the targets Ability Score or make an Expert test to
succeed. Unlike a Personal Recovery Action, you can exceed the
targets original Ability Rank up to a maximum Score of 5. At the
end of the next action scene any Ability that exceeds its original
Rank returns to its original Rank.

Modifiers
Abilities: Each character has five Abilities, with a Rank
representing how talented or skilled they are in each area. A
character with a Rank of 0 in an Ability is average while a
character with a Rank of 5 (the maximum for PCs) is one of the
most gifted individuals in the world.

Charm: A character's grace, charisma and looks. Charm

is almost always used in social situations to convince
someone to act or think the way you want them to.

Grit: A character's determination, resolve and will. Grit

is generally used to fight off the effects of fear,
misdirection or insanity.

Smarts: A character's acquired knowledge, reasoning,

creativity and ability to think on their feet. Smarts is
generally used to improvise tools, assess a target,
research a problem or develop new equipment.

Vigor: A character's strength, fortitude, health, and

toughness. Vigor is most often used to inflict or absorb
physical damage, or otherwise physically affect the
world.

Luck: Luck works differently than the other Abilities. It

represents fate, chance and your natural ability to avoid
danger.

Luck: Luck can't be targeted by an opponent, and you can't use
your Luck Ability as a modifier on a Test or Contest. Instead, you
can spend a Luck point to add a +1 bonus to a Total, or you can
spend 2 Luck points to reroll a d6. Spending Luck lowers your
Score until you can recover, just as losing Contests reduces your
other abilities. When initiating a Contest, you have to choose to
spend Luck before your target rolls a reaction. Your cannot spend
your Luck Score into negative. Once it drops to zero, youre out of
Luck!

Traits: Traits represents a characters skills, personality and past.
Each character has one of each Trait type: an Edge, a Tagline and
a Bond.

An Edge is a specific, positive Trait that grants a +3 modifier on
Tests and Contests. They're always positive and represent the
thing that the PC is best at. Some example Edges are Flying Ace,
Deadly Right Hook, and Enchanting Songstress.

Supernatural powers such as Necromancy, Fire Resistance or
Telekinesis are also represented by an Edge when appropriate to
the setting.

A Tagline is a quick phrase that sums up a large part of who your
character is. Taglines grant either a +1 or -1 modifier on Tests or
Contests, so the best Taglines can be used both positively and
negatively. Example Taglines include Too Hot to Handle, My Gun
Talks for Me and Arrogant Mogul.

Bonds represent a link to another character or part of the world.
Like Taglines, they can provide a +1 or -1. Some example Bonds
might be Trained by the Dragon Knights, I Owe a Life Debt to the
Rogue or Wanted by the CIA.

A character that chooses to use a Tagline or Bond with a -1

modifier on a roll recovers 1 Luck point, to a maximum of their
Luck Rank.

Asset: Any beneficial effect that lasts more than one turn is an
Asset. Assets are often pieces of equipment, but may also be
inherent abilities. Generally, Assets grant a +1 modifier. Assets
that are more fantastic may have a higher bonus but might also
require a minimum Ability Score to use, a Test to activate, or have
a clear drawback.

Assets have a Vigor Rank which represent how durable they are.
An Assets Vigor can be targeted just like a character's Vigor, with
the character wielding the equipment rolling the reaction. Assets
with a Vigor Score of 0 or below are no longer functional. At -5
equipment can no longer be repaired or recovered. Unless
otherwise noted, an Asset has a Vigor Rank equal to its bonus.

Pets: Any Asset that has its own Traits is a Pet. Common pets are
vehicles, mounts and servants. Pets do not get their own turn. A
character in control of a Pet can use either their own Abilities and
Traits, those of their Pet, or an Ability of one and a Trait of the
other.

Defeat
When a character is defeated they cannot take further actions
until they recover. Most NPCs are defeated when an Ability Score
is reduced to below 0. PCs and NPCs with Luck Ranks need to
have an Ability Rank reduced to -5 or below to be defeated.

Character Creation
Player Characters start with a name and an idea. The GM's
adventure might provide some example characters and will be a
great place to start looking for ideas.

Distribute 10 points among your Abilities. No Ability Rank should
be higher than 5 or lower than 0. Every PC has 1 bonus rank in
Luck.

Create three Traits: an Edge, Tagline and a Bond.

Starting Assets are generally established by the adventure itself.
You might not start with any Assets.

Write a brief description of your character and youre done. Most
characters will fit easily on an index card or sticky note.

NPCs
NPCs are as detailed as you need them to be. The average person
likely has 3 points to distribute to Abilities, and a Tagline. The
lead villain may have as many Abilities and Traits as a PC, or
possibly more. A GM should feel free to create NPCs with degrees
of detail in between these extremes as called for by the story.

Have fun.