Detective Picture Stories #1

In Centaur's Detective Picture Stories #1, two beat cops take on a robber and a thug.  It's a pretty serious fight, with cop #1 just punching while being shot at by the thug and cop #2 grappling the robber. Remarkably, the thug goes down in turn 1, but it looks like the robber is going to off cop #2 in turn 2.  However, cop #1 wins initiative in turn 2 and is able to pick up a dropped gun and still shoot first.  Now, there's nothing in the rules that says you can't, nor are there any set rules on what constitutes a "free" action that would not delay or prevent you taking your turn; this is all left up to the Editor's discretion. In this case, I would say a generous Editor allowed the gun to be picked up without delaying the attack (I would have made them him go simultaneous with whoever was next!).

This page likely represents just 2 turns of combat. I would ignore the 2nd panel as being flavor text setting up the missed hit in panel 3. Hitting the wall hard enough to bleed must be flavor text from the Editor as well, as there is nothing in the rules about taking damage if you miss with a punch within proximity with a wall. Since you get 2 attacks per turn in unarmed combat, panels 1 & 3 take place in turn 1, followed by the kick in turn 2.

 Our Hero, Ed, revives really quickly. In the current rules, even unarmed combat is potentially lethal and healing from it is a slow process. In the next edition, unarmed combat will be treated as subdual damage instead of real damage and people will recover faster from it.

According to the Experience Point awarding rules for monetary rewards, possession is 10/10th of the law.  By turning down his reward, Ed is turning down 5,000 XP, in exchange for 100 XP for the good deed of giving it to the widow. If Ed had taken the money first, and then handed it over personally, an Editor would be within his rights to give Ed 5,100 XP.

An interesting idea for a scam -- hoodlums simply overcharging drunks at a roadhouse. Apparently, a bill of $56.75 was outrageous for all but the fanciest restaurants in 1936.

Okay, the ol' yank-out-the-rug trick. It's really just a special maneuver for tripping an opponent, so you need to hit by 5 or higher and your opponent has to miss a save vs. science. It probably be better in most situations just to punch the guy.



(Scans courtesy of Digital Comic Museum)