First miniatures game of 2026 - Pulp Alley

The original plan for the game

So, I ran a Pulp Alley game at the OMG Library meeting on January 11th. The picture above is what I set up at home as I plotted out the game. I brought along my usual assortment of leagues and one of the players brought their own  league of shapeshifters. It was a quiet day at the library with only five of us showing up, just right for four teams and a ref!

The modified layout, with walls and a different major plot point.

The major plot point, was a wild eyed high  priest performing a summoning ritual. Each of the leagues started with a plot point, each plot point needed to be placed in a specific location to disrupt the incantation. Once placed the league would be able to close with the high priest. To add some extra challenge, cultist kept showing up to engage the leagues. The game was a variation of the Fantastic Device scenario.

The plot points were placed by completing a normal plot point challenge. Competing leagues could interact with a placed plot point to disrupt the enemy leagues and to gain points. In theory this meant that leagues should guard their placed plot points.(or prevent the plot points from being stolen prior to placement) Not everyone went after the other plot points and for the most part they congregated in the centre of the table. 

It was a tough battle but the playing of a parlay card part way through turn 6th sealed the deal and ended the game.

Pulp Alley game at the OMG Library location

 

The four monsters deployed 12" from the centre

So, the mission was for each league to track down, capture and return a monster to the windmill, where Dr Frankenstein was waiting. The leagues entered from the edges.

The leagues, the two left most did not participate 

The leagues were, the mad scientists, the monster hunters and the angry citizens. Two new players and one veteran fought it out to control a monster. The mad scientists and the angry villagers were both able to capture a monster and move it to the windmill, and thus were both able to go for the main plot point.

AAR Pulp Alley - Vice Alley II, Late night flight

 

 

The Pointes across from Martin airfield

The first game of the new campaign, oddly enough not actually from the Vice Alley book. We went for one from Perilous Island; Last Flight. We simply substituted substituted the location and used cops instead of French troops. Otherwise it fits well with the Vice Alley theme, one faction trying to sneak a star witness out of the city while the other seeks to prevent this from happening.

 

Martin Airfield

A rare sight and preview of next game (WIP)

 

So, a completely cleared gaming table, almost never happens. However this is just a temporary thing as I have already started working on the next campaign layout. This time I am going a bit over board...

Some Pulp Alley plot point cards

So, I quickly made up 5 plot point cards for a recent Planet of the Apes/Pulp Alley game. The idea was to add some extra flavour to the plot points and to create some extra urgency when pursuing the various plot points. A few of them allowed certain leagues to treat certain plot points as major plot points. They were all placed as normal and were all treated as minor plot points. Then as, demonstrated by the card above, the plot point worked out to be a major plot point for one league. In theory a lot of major plot points could have been scored, but by the end of turn 6 only one 'major' plot point was achieved.

China Station campaign - China Station Inferno

 

So, we had a two player game, home brew Mystery League (a duo league) vs The Sons of the Empire league from one of the Pulp Alley books. The Empire league was played by a first time player. Well for a first time player he certainly picked up the rules pretty fast. He made great use of the cards dealt to him even though this was the first time playing with this league he picked up on the nuances of the league.

OMG Sunday library meeting

 

Another Venice adventure.

This time around we played a modified China Station scenario, no creeping fog but still some horrific Deep ones. Also made the plot points mobile just to keep the players on their toes. For one of the players they were their own worst enemy as they kept faling any random challenge that came their way. The other player, new to the game, ultimately decided to just stay out of the way and let his opponent self destruct. By the end of the game one league was down to one character, holding 1 plot point and his opponent had 3 minor plot points.

By the way, with this post I have now exceeded the post that I made all of last year, so an improvement.

Pulp Alley at OMG

So we went to Venice once again. It has been awhile since I last dug out these buildings, but I think they still work. Three players with me as the facilitator passed a few hours watching three leagues struggle against each other and some nefarious cultists. Everyone trying to locate the mysterious Device 1138! 

Pulp Alley game at the OMG meeting at the Centrepointe library

 

So, this past Sunday the Ottawa Miniature Gamers (OMG) held a meeting at the Ottawa Public Library at the Centrepointe location. While it is a chance to play some games it is really a chance to expose the general public to the club and the type of games that we play. 

Three games were on display, Space Hulk, ADLG and Pulp Alley. Pulp Alley was my contribution to the game day. The game started up with two players, one a rookie the other had played a few games. By the second or third turn we were joined by a couple of young people who we paired off with the two existing players.

My hats off to the two older players who rose to the occasion and coached the two new players and let them take control of the leagues. We also had a few other people drop by to look at all of the games. Much interest in our activities and many conversations were had. Who knows maybe some of these people will become  OMG members or at very least get bit by the miniature gaming bug!

I look forward to the next library meeting at the end of March.

Pulp Alley AAR June 11th Trail of Clues

In order to get ready for our new campaign, we figured we should maybe try out the rules again as it has been a long time since we last played this game. Also this game was a way of introducing a new player to the game.

In the trail of clues scenario four plot points are placed 12" in from the corners, then each of the leagues are deployed within 12" of a corner (more than 6" away from a plot point) The major plot point is only placed on the table when one of the leagues has completed a minor plot point. 

 The set up

 

Pulp Alley at OMG April 2nd 2023

 So, first time gaming at the club went well. Two rookies to the game and one old pro. I am not certain if the rookies knew what they were getting into, but they seemed to go with the flow and picked up the rules pretty quickly. I brought 8 leagues with me and allowed the players to choose who to play. We went with a simple scenario, Lost Keys  and after a brief explanation of the rules we had at it.

See the bottom of the post for the league sheets used.

 It was a scatter start so the leagues deployed all over the board and at all heights! 

 

Pulp Alley AAR pulp alley of the Apes

 

 

 

Return to Cairo

Recently picked up some more buildings, and some paved areas, medians, and walls from Crescent Root and was really keen to set them up with my older purchases. I had always wanted to add to my collection as I really liked the gate and towers, but when I found out that the line was about to be retired I realized that I would have to strike quickly or miss out!

Future, future project

Found in a second hand store in Ottawa.

Pulp Alley Zombie

Pre-game zombie action pictures.

Look what just arrived!!

Promised for June, delivered in May, best Kickstarter ever!

Some more pages from the Flora and Fauna book of Lemuria

Recently located these additional pages illustrating the denizens of Lemuria.

Pulp Alley The Lemurian Campaign: Chapter 1 Arena of Terror

Our first Pulp Alley game of the new year, playing the first scenario of our new campaign, in our version of The Lost World of Lemuria!

Three leagues have arrived in Lemuria via various different routes, but all have been captured by the locals, and have been sent to the Arena of Terror to fight it out with each other, and the arena beasts! However the leagues, uncertain of the lay of the land, have decided to band together to confront what ever terrors might appear to fight them.
 

Prep work for PA Lemuria campaign

Countdown to the start of the campaign, game to be played January 19th 2019.

The Queen

Pulp Alley game set in Venice updated Jan 17 2019 with ending pages

This game was played just before Christmas of 2018, and was an opportunity for players to test out their leagues for the up coming Lemuria campaign, set to commence on January 19th 2019.
It was also a chance for me to test out some scenario ideas.

I discuss the scenario in detail after part one...