Pulp Action Hour: Factions of the World!

In this post, I present the various factions in Pulp Action Hour! These are heavily influenced off of “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow”, and “The Rocketeer”.  Please remember, even though I have been working on this for dang near a decade, this is still very much a work in progress.
So, take a look and feel free to provide any feedback!

Factions of Pulp Action Hour

The following are some of the key factions in the world and, indeed, the solar system. Each is only briefly described to allow the GM to flesh them out as he sees fit.
The Allied Powers
These are the nations and factions that have openly joined the Allied forces in the upcoming war.

The Allied Powers
 United States of America: One of the three core countries to make up the allies, The U.S. has the strongest industrial capabilities of all the nations. It also possesses one of the most powerful navies ever seen. Only Japan may have a stronger navy. The U.S. is leading the other nations in space ship development, even surpassing the Martians in weapons tech, energy shield development and ship speed.
 Great Britain: Another of the core countries to make up the allies. The UK has the most advanced single fighter aircraft and possesses the most skilled pilots in the world. The problem is, their pilots know they are the best and have been known to take unnecessary risks.
 Russia: The last of the core countries to make up the allies. Russia is known for its stalwart ground forces. It possesses the largest army in terms of infantry, armor and light artillery. The Russian army also has the most powerful exo-Infantry suits.
 Canada: While not as productive or powerful as the three core countries, Canada provides a well skilled army and navy. They are very close to both Great Britain and the United States.  As a result, they have benefitted from shared technological advances from both.
 Australia: While Australia does not have the largest or most powerful military, the people of this country have stepped up to the challenge of assisting in every way they can. Their ports are invaluable staging areas for the allied forces.

The Axis Powers
These are the nations and factions that have openly joined the Axis powers in the rising global tensions.
 Germany: An industrial juggernaut, Germany is one of the two central axis powers. They have an unsurpassed technical edge in avionics as well as a massive armored mobile infantry. Only Russia possesses more powerful exo-Infantry suits, though the German suits are more agile. They are also rumored to have several black ops genetic and supernatural research programs running. They also have several expeditionary teams looking for any possible artifacts that could aid them in combat.
 Japan: The other central axis power, Japan’s navy is as powerful as that of the US. They also have a formidable air force. What they are lacking is the industrial might many of the other main powers have. Japan also has genetic program running to make more perfect samurai warriors. They have also secretly been working on the next generation of submarine, rumored to be able to go as much as twenty thousand feet below the surface. Currently, deepest any sub has publicly gone is just over two thousand feet.
 Italy: While a small power and a puppet regime of Germany, Italy nonetheless is a force to be reckoned with. They have a well-trained infantry skilled in guerilla warfare.

The Independents
These are powers that have not specifically allied with either the Allied or Axis powers. Some are benign others are evil. Most fall somewhere in between.
 The Iron Cross: This is a splinter group of the German government. One of their most brilliant minds turned on his mother country to strike out on his own. Heir Christoff Von Glaussen, an inventor with no equal, and a mind built around subterfuge and betrayal, he managed to secure funding for a large base at the L4 Lagrange zone, just behind the moon. Upon its completion, he and nearly ten thousand other Germans defected, taking a large portion of Germany’s space capable fleet with it. They have since fortified their location.
 The Mafia: Not a single faction per se, the Mob as it is called is a series of organized crime syndicates. Though they are criminals and will sell their own mothers out if the price is right, they tend not to deal with any of the axis powers or the Iron Cross (seeing them as just another axis power). Their code of honor simply will not ally themselves with anyone responsible for the subjugation of the home land of Sicily. Many of them also have a sense of American pride and while they will run rackets and rob banks, will not stand by and let some dirty Nazis mess with the good ol’ US of A. There are many smaller crime families, but all of these smaller syndicates answer to one of the few major families. Each syndicate head family is situated in a different city.
i) The Marcone family is based in New York City,
(1) Gambino & Bonanno families also operate out of NYC.
(2) The Patriarca crime family rules Boston
ii) The Capone family runs out of Chicago
(1) Giordano family in St Louis
(2) Zerilli family is based in Detroit
iii) Joe Piranio and his family operate out of the Dallas-Fort Worth area,
(1) Civella crime family runs both Kansas Cities.
(2) Marcello family is located in Louisiana.
iv) The Lanza family runs Los Angeles,
(1) The Colacurcio’s operate out of Seattle.
(2) The Smaldone family’s seat is in Denver
v) Lucchesse family controls Miami and all of Florida
(1) Bonanno family rules Birmingham
vi) The Calabrese family runs out of Toronto, Canada
vii) Rizzuto family in Quebec City, Canada
 Sky Brigade: A neutral band of highly trained pilots and Special Forces troops, Sky Brigade is composed of primarily people from Canada, US, UK, and Australia. They perform rescue and intervention missions on behalf of various governments. They are not mercenaries and will not take just any job; instead they try to do jobs that help diffuse situations around the globe. They currently only operate on Earth. The command base is a flying aircraft carrier some 1000 feet long, 180 feet wide and 30 feet tall. It is held aloft by twelve gigantic tilt rotor, vectored thrust propellers and dozens of smaller stabilizing thrusters. It is simply the largest object in the sky.
 Martian Empire: While the name would imply an intelligent race on Mars, this is not the case. The Martian Empire is basically the planet of Mars. All of the colonies on Mars, from all the different nations on Earth banded together as one and declared their independence. This was not taken well, and several nations tried to take their colonies back by force. All failed. Within six months of the declaration, all the nations of Earth acknowledged the sovereignty of Mars. They have some of the most capable space ships in all the solar system, making full use of their unhindered access to the Martian alloys. They are largely neutral in the growing tensions on Earth, though they tend to lean more towards the Allied powers as Germany and Japan both fought the hardest to reclaim their lost colonies.
 Blood Angels: This is an extremely secretive group that has recently been seen interfering with the Axis powers as well as The Iron Cross. They appear to be a vigilante organization, out to right any perceived wrongs. It is only a matter of time before they find some action of the Allied powers in the wrong. They have inexplicable powers and abilities. So far, all their abilities look to stem from high tech, miniaturized gadgets built into their combat suits. All the suits are dull grey or flat black in color. They all have black wings of some unknown material and face plates that cover all but their mouths. There is an apparatus that covers their mouths most of the time, but this can be removed to speak normally. To date, none have been seen using any type of vehicles, although it has been noted that their wings appear functional and they can fly rather fast.

Next time, I’ll introduce you to the gazetteer of the solar system!

‘Till then,



Image by julepe on Deviant Art.

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