I have a group of players that want to play a gritty pulp action PnP RPG, But I cant settle on a system.

I was thinking more along the lines of D20 modern (but characters feel very limited)
or NWoD (but characters feel fragile)


Inspirations for the game:

The matrix
Max Payne
Die hard
Boondock saints

A system that allows ridiculousness within its own mechanics, which is why we were looking at NWoD but wanted to consult the community before really decided because there might be (and usually is always) something better for what were looking for.

The d6 system from West End Games might be a good choice, and especially so since it is available for free online since it was released as an open game license. They also have separate d6 Adventure, d6 Science Fiction, and d6 Fantasy books, so you can tailor just what you are looking for.

Another good choice might be Savage Worlds.

I hope this helps!

I'll second the D6 system.  It was designed for a fast-and-loose style of play, it's simple to pick up, simple to adapt (I've had friends convert Shadowrun and Dark Conspiracy games to D6 rules, another friend borrowed a lot of D6 rules for his kit-bashed rules set for his own fantasy game, yet another put together a Matrix RPG built off D6 rules, and I've played in several Star Wars games through the years that all had their own kind of 'pulp' feel.)

It's not a perfect system, by any means, but it's easily my favorite and for something with the feel of the golden age of pulp novels, I'm hard pressed to think of anything better.

I second Savage Worlds.

If you're looking at NWoD, you might try digging up a copy of Adventure!, which covers the pulp era of White Wolf's Aeon setting.

You might take a look at Amazing Adventures by Troll Lord Games. It is basically a stripped down d20 system with a very simple task resolution mechanic.

Another vote for Savage worlds, it is ideal for pulp games.

Used to love Justice, Inc. for pulp games. It's a lower point variant on HERO games, including psychic talents.

I'd suggest two fisted tales revised

I downloaded Savage worlds deluxe edition and D6 adventure, I like them both leaning more towards D6.

Is there a way to play Savage worlds without cards?

I've seen 3 ways of doing SW online due to the cards.

GM does the draw, either using a physical deck at home, or using the rpol card draw function to draw the entire deck, then just tells people what card they have.


I've seen two dice options used, and really you can use whatever dice you want since you're already losing the probability mechanics that come with using the card deck anyway.

One was a straight D20 used, natural 20s count as jokers, the Quick and Level Headed edges gave a flat bonus and multiple rolls (take the best of two) respectively.

I also saw a combination of D4 for suit, and D14 for 2-Joker.  So a 1 on the D4 would be a club and a 11 on the D14 would be the Jack.



Since SW is all about being fast, there was a game where the GM just had the players post all their actions and then did a "bad guys actions"/Combat Turn summary post, so there was no waiting on Player X to post since they go before Player Y, or waiting on the GM to post actions for the Henchman since they go before Player X but after Player Y.  That worked out very well for pacing, but you're definitely ceding an advantage to the player characters, which may or may not be an issue depending on the tone you're going for.

Personally, I find initiative rather clunky in this medium. I ran a successful, well-enjoyed Savage Worlds game here without it.

The game 1PG by Deep 7 Games does a good line in Pulp. The rules make a good read, but I haven't tried the pulp version in a game yet. I've tried the 1PG rules in other genres and they are quick and simple.

They're available from Drive Thru for little more than the price of a pint.

This would be my recommendation.  Traditional initiative doesn't work well in PbP, but Savage Worlds can function easily.  Just do player actions, then NPCs.  If someone's slow to post, skip them and have them act at the end of the round.

I second this, and use for any game system when playing PBP.

Besides, I haven't seen any reason to worry about initiative ever, except on first/surprise round where a one shot kill or a fast talking diplomacy check might have an impact. And that can usually be easily figured out in any case, particularly when you remember that all the in-game events of a round are usually happening all at once and not separately.