Pulp Matters - Cepheus Journal – Issue #008 & A Cepheus Engine Flash Gordon Pulp Style Campaign

 So last night I took night off from the regular blogging together with friends & fellow DM's. We began speaking about a 1950's style mini Cepheus Engine campaign for the after the Halloween holiday. And here's where we get into low cost solutions for such a 2d6 campaign with Cepheus Journal – Issue #008. P-O Bergstedt's Space Patrol article is perfect as an addition to a Pulp Cepheus Engine campaign. 

Where would a Space Patrol game be perfectly balanced in an alternative 1940's, 1950's or 1960's campaign?! Why where the holes of the Space Police not be able to fill all of those holes in interstellar politics?! Not at all. The opportunities would be for adventurers to slip in & take up some of the slack. And here's where Michael Brown's Thrill of the Thirties! 2D6 Adventure in the Pulp Era could help to take up some of the PC & NPC generation burden. 

The otherday there was a thread about running a Flash Gordon style original Traveller game & what supplements could be used to run it. With the Cepheus Engine nothing could be easier actually. A few minor modifications to the Clement or Earth Sector books by Independence Games. And you've got your Pulp  Space Western Frontier. 

Why would a  Mongo style planet  be so very disjointed in it's technological levels?! Well that's easy, Mongo or an appropriate Pulpy planet was artificially maintained as an elite, exclusive, and very real interstellar hunting planet. All of the signs & symbols are there. The colonists rebelled and took over. They got a taste for conquest and took over their system & surrounding systems under a Ming The Merciless. This went on for sometime even taking a Sword of Cepheus style magical or occult planet. The people of our 'Mongo style world took on these trappings ala the Late Roman Empire. Later on their ambitions knew no bounds. And they captured a much higher tech level axiom planet & it's inhabitants who were not used to the level of violence. They forced the aliens to construct a planetary drive system. The planet & its sourrounding moons became a wanderer accross the cosmos. 

And this brings us back to Cepheus Journal – Issue #008 where the cool intelligences of the Martians are gearing up their warmachine. The problem & reason is that 'Mongo our wandering star of destruction has raided Martian colonies. And this has thrown the Martians into a bit of a tail spin and they've begun raiding Earth sector colonies. The greater threat though is the 'Mongo style world'. The current rulers maintain the artificial eco system out a sense of tradition. The various uplifted animal races are at each other's throats. And Stellagemma Publishing's Games Space Patrol could give the Space Patrol outposts much needed relief. 

If your looking for a Flassshh Gordon style PC then perhaps that's going to be your characters or party. This style of campaign opens all kinds of opportunities for a rag tag party of adventurers. Perhaps a renagade commander from the Space Force by Paul Drye from Cepheus Journal – Issue #008  whose had it with the red tape & paperwork. The thing to remember about Mongo & planets like it are that they are artificially maintained & it says so by Dr. Zarcoff in the original Filmation cartoon. 

A26 Mongo Robotic Sentries For Your Old School Campaigns

Often encountered by adventurers, relic hunters, and explorers. The A26 is a former Lumerian terror weapon and trooper droid that was used extensively throughout the Lumerian empire to carry out the fanatical will of its kings,princesses, and despots. The robotic horrors are still found in dungeons through out the planes and there are rumors that they are still being manufactured and used by the Empire of Mongo. 

Developed in the ancient weapon shops of Lemuria the ubiquitous robotic sentries have served with distinction for generations  on a wide variety of worlds and might be encountered anywhere that the interests of Lemuria and by extension its colony world of  Mongo has had dealings.
The A26 series of robotic sentries were used in suppression wars throughout the Lumerian empire against a wide variety of targets and within Lumerian colony worlds across the heavens and beyond. They have a limited and almost malevolent A.I. intelligence about them. These robotic terror are used to enforce the tyrannical rule of their masters with calculated mastery and efficient protocols. The A26 was manufactured in the billions over the course of centuries. This all came to an end with the fall of Lemuria.

The A26's became a terrifying foot note in the corner of history, but many of these monsters have re emerged with the rising of the ruins of Accursed Atlantis. Their golden armor and ships streak across the skies causing horror and mayhem often in the employ of petty warlords and wizards who have divided the secrets of their programming and have super scientists attend them. There are rumors of these monsters still in service to the Empire of Mongo but this is merely rumors borne of space borne tales. Such hog wash is quickly dismissed as nothing more then space trader and tavern talk. 

The A26's are found wherever Lemurian ruins, bases, and dungeon works can be found. They are easily activated and have a very dangerous air about them. The monsters have all of the immunities of a Golem in Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea. They have a limited but cunning malevolent intelligence which drives them enabling them to mimic human and near human kind. They can pilot space craft, operate complex machinery, and carry out the wills of their tyrannical masters with expert efficiency. The A26 is almost always armed with a simple laser rifle that does 6d6 +1 per strike against living tissue and can blow holes in solid stone. The weapon has a range of 20 yards and the A26's use the weapons with abandon on targets. There will be between 1d10 charges, the rifles being recharged aboard the Lumerian space craft. 

Number Encountered :1d8

Alignment: Lawful evil

Size: M 

Movement: 20

Dexterity :5 

Armor Class: 7 

Hit Dice : 11+3 

Number of attacks : 2 pummel or by weapon 

Damage: 2d8/2d8

Saving Throw : 9 

Morale: 12 

Experience Points: 3,000 

Special: all immunities of Golems apply. 

Note that this is a homage to Flash Gordon The Greatest Adventure Of Them All 1979 cartoon movie and is not intended as a violation of the copyright nor trade mark of Filmation or any of the copyright or trade mark holders. This blog entry is for educational & entertainment purposes only.