Daniel (@dungeondive) has become obsessed with Pulp Alley, a narrative skirmish game flexible enough to handle fantasy mercenaries, pulp adventurers, science fiction and horror. This comprehensive guide approaches it mainly through solo play, where collecting plot points and overcoming challenges can matter more than wiping out the opposition.
He starts with what he recommends buying: the second-edition starter set, the separate solo deck that replaces the multiplayer fortune deck, and optional scenario and reward cards. He also shows how he repurposes standees, dungeon boards, battle mats and terrain from other games, scaling his adventures down to a two-foot-square table.
Character and league creation are a major attraction. Daniel builds a four-person mercenary company using a perk that makes them peers, then explores abilities, associates and other ways to shape a group. His gameplay examples explain dice pools, opposed combat, injuries and recovery, plus the cards that interrupt plans and turn objectives into unfolding stories. One important solo detail: opposing leagues are played to the best of your ability, without an automated behaviour chart.
The final stretch explores character and scenario books, campaign material, magic and horror cards as tools for creating further adventures. Throughout, Daniel explains why this more involved ruleset gives him both a dependable framework and room to invent the world he wants to explore.
What setting would you bring to Pulp Alley, and what characters or terrain from your existing collection would you use?