Pyramid #3/42: Noir

[Kromm]

Even in daylight
It's hard to see or shoot straight
On this burg's mean streets

— Some hack

Do your adventures keep featuring dramatic plots with cynical characters who end up in dimly lit offices, nightclubs, and streets? Do words like "femme fatale," "gritty," and "hard boiled" crop up constantly? Do the themes and values always feel like something from the middle third of the 20th century? Then a little bird told me you might want to head over to e23 sometime round midnight and talk to Pyramid #3/42: Noir. The way I heard it:

• Every noir story needs a smoky nightclub, full of shady characters, catchy music, and tons of juicy plot hooks. With a detailed, full-color map, a rundown of the employees and regulars, and some campaign advice, The Zephyr Club is ready to be a hot destination in your campaign.
  
  
• Of course, the first thing you see at a club is the doorman, so it's only natural to take a detailed look at The Gameable Bouncer. (Just don't stare too hard.) This article includes advice on bouncers as PCs or NPCs, new combat techniques for them to use, and three timeless templates that suit the guy who minds the door.
  
  
• So now you have stats for bouncers in your noir campaign . . . what about everybody else? Human, Flawed has you covered, with eight full secondary character write-ups – from Susan Parks, the sassy secretary, to Danny Padalino, the neutral gangster. Use 'em as Allies, Contacts, or Enemies, or just mine them for adventure seeds!
  
  
• Noir works best with an introspective loner who can count only on himself, but RPGs generally involve groups of protagonists. This can make even a single adventure challenging. The Gathering Will offers a flavorful way to keep everyone on speaking terms for an entire campaign without losing the noir flavor.
  
  
• A good noir detective or police story needs something to investigate, and there are few places as interesting (yet believable) as The House of the Sun. Tucked away in Japantown, this "Oriental parlor" conceals layer after layer of secrets. (No, we're not going to share them here! What part of "secrets" don't you understand?)
  
  
• Whether you're a player looking to build a cunning and deadly PC, or a GM cooking up an NPC who will work her way into the party to destroy them, The Femme Fatale has advice on how to create and use this classic archetype.
  
  
• And you get the usual batch of Pyramid goodies you know and love, including a Random Thought Table that looks at how to turn The Road Not Taken into introspective flavor, Odds and Ends that mix adventure seeds and campaign advice, and a Murphy's Rules that may have you doing a double-take when bartering on the down-low.

— Rev. Pee Kitty & Kromm

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by Kromm

Of course, the first thing you see at a club is the doorman, so it's only natural to take a detailed look at The Gameable Bouncer. (Just don't stare too hard.) This article includes advice on bouncers as PCs or NPCs, new combat techniques for them to use, and three timeless templates that suit the guy who minds the door.

Given

a) how many scenes in adventures from low-tech fantasy to ultra-tech SF campaigns are set in bars and

2) how many of those scenes end up with fighting,

it's a little surprising it's taken this long for an article like this to appear. Its applicability is far greater than the issue's theme suggests, and is yet another reason why you should buy this issue.