First Look: Amazing Adventures

Here is a fun one I am looking at, the Siege Engine (Castles & Crusades) pulp 1920s-1950s game Amazing Adventures. I like Castles & Crusades so this interested me as a sort of "also" game that went along with those rules.

I also like the pulp genre a lot, from the original TSR Gangbusters, B/X Gangbusters, Mercenaries Spies & Private Eyes, and other games that do the era justice. This one was interesting as a B/X style of gangster game but using the C&C rules, so I picked it up to read.

A Fading Era?

I always get this feeling that interest in the pulp era is fading year after year. We get farther and farther away from the time, and the relevance of this era seems to wane to a modern audience. I hope not, since there is a lot of great and amazing stories to tell in the pulp era, and a lot of our adventure fiction is based on this genre as the genesis of the heroes and action for what we even see in movies today.

As time goes by this era becomes more and more fantasy-like, with the strange level of technology seeming far removed from the present day. No cell phones or computers? No direct dial long distance? No television (towards the end of the era but still, mostly radio)? No jet aircraft? Ocean liners for cross sea travel? No interstate highways? Strange rules for law enforcement where a county or state line could stop pursuit? A world that was still mostly distant and unknown?

This was a different world.

Strangely Rules Heavy

From my first read through I found more rules and a larger book that I would have expected. A lot of these are classes, options, and magic - but the game still felt substantial and complete compared to other games in the genre. I wanted a few more weapons and vehicles, regardless, for a book this size and this much depth in the rules. There seems to be more weight here around characters, powers, and builds than lots of "stuff" but it does not feel like an issue that is a deal breaker. I have a lot of reference material, so I don't see the lack of gear and vehicles as a drawback, just a "want more" thing that could easily be fixed by myself or "gear and gadgets" book.

Gangsters, Serials, Sci-Fi, or Cthulhu

The game has the tools needed to do a lot of genres from horror, gangsters, crime fighting, action serials, treasure hunting, to campy sci-fi action. I like the options here and the game feels like a complete playset to do a lot with. One one hand, it isn't as focused as other games are. On another, this game is a sandbox playset with many uses.

Looks Like Fun

I want to get my Castles & Crusades game running pretty soon here, but I like options like this to explore and have fun with. More soon as I read through this and get more of this read.