Emulating b movies / 50’s-60’s scifi

Key Elements:

• Radiation is a wonder power - but it has side effects.
• Often conflicting leads: Army Man / Square jawed scientist.
• Science might be dangerous, but it more often than not saves the day
• Space is often a crucial component
• Technobabble

Common archetypes

• Academic/Scientist
• Cop/Fed
• Explorer
• Industrialist
• Journalist
• Often female
• kid/teenage/tagalong
• Loner
• Military Man
• Mobster
• Private Detective
• Sports figure
• Spy
• Yokel

Common opponents

• Aliens
• Elder brothers
• Evil empires
• Savages
• Aliens are often considered reskinned commies.
• Blobs - can be either irradiated or aliens
• Brain’s (Disembodied)
• Bug eyed monsters
• Irradiated/Gigantic Monsters
• Big Bugs
• Giant People
• Prehistoric Survivors
• See our dinosaur episode last week.’
• Primorial beings from the dawn of time
• The Forth Reich
• Aka boys from brazil, moon nazi’s, antiarctic colony.
• The Red Scare
• Killer Robots
• More tin cans (see previous episode)
• Killer Plants (see previous episode).

Common set pieces

• Big City
• Hallowed Earth
• Small Town U.S.A.
• Wild Places
• Undersea
• Space

Potential Game engines

• GURPS Atomic Horror
• Monster of the Week
• Savage Worlds
• THIS DEFIANT EARTH: 1950s Sci-Fi Movie Roleplaying! (kickstarter pending)

Overview

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BMovie

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_movies_(Transition_in_the_1950s)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_science_fiction_films_of_the_1950s

http://www.listchallenges.com/100-science-fiction-movies-of-the-50s-60s

The Greatest B-Movie Horror Films of the 1950s and 60s

http://www.imdb.com/list/ls000348341/

Rocket Robin Hood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXGrm_nGs_M

https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/5c8uzm/working_on_ideas_for_a_1950s_bmovie_inspired/

https://forum.rpg.net/archive/index.php/t-141542.html

http://fiftiesweb.com/

https://www.pinterest.com/bigassgeek/1950s-science-fiction-pulp-roleplaying-game/