Friday, April 3, 2015

C is for Caleb Ketchum

This character write-up is being posted as part of the A to Z April Blogging Challenge. The RPG stats are for ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game.

Caleb Ketchum (first appearance: American's Best Comics #26)



Caleb Ketchum was a university chemistry professor who developed a compound that was generally safe for the environment, birds, and mammals, but deadly to most insects. It could paralyze humans and other mammals for brief periods if they were exposed to extreme doses, but otherwise it had no effect on them.
   Ketchum dreamed of making millions in his own pest extermination business, but business was slow and his compound was expensive to produce, as it used the expensive chemical cacobane as its main ingredient). Not wanting to be branded a failure. he joined forces with gangster Dan Haley and they used his compound for a variety of robberies by rendering guards unconscious. Ketchum and all of Haley's gang were eventually brought to justice by the superhero Black Terror.
   Ketchum died in prison in 1954, but his daughter Dorothy discovered his the formula for his compound while going through his personal effects, as well as research notes that indicated it would cause insects to grow to gigantic size if it was used upon them without the presence of cacobane in the mixture. She used the formula in an attempt to avenge her father's death by unleashing a hoard of giant insects on Salt Lake City, Utah in 1955. Her insect army was defeated by Fire-Man, and she was killed in the battle.
   Sixty years later, in 2014, a masked crimefighter using paralyzing gas and calling himself the Exterminator emerged on the scene in Guardian City. This man is secretly Hyrum Wallace, the great-grandson of Caleb Ketchum. After finding Ketchum's formula in a trunk of effects that once belonged to his notorious grandmother, he decided to use it for good.

CALEB KETCHUM (Male)
Brawn 14, Body 12, Brains 5
   Traits: Coldblooded
   Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Disarm, Dodge, Run Away!, Strategic Bleeding
   Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: Cacobane Gas Gun (Ranged Weapon, no damage but forces up to 2 opponents to make Brawn ATT checks. If the check fails, they lose all actions are are completely defenseless for 2d6 rounds)


Thursday, April 2, 2015

B is for Bill Foster

Bill Foster (first appeared in Wonder Comics #1, 1944)
Bill Foster was a mechanical genius and pioneering computer engineer who invented the first true artificial intelligence. In 1944, he was abducted by Nazis and brought to Germany where, under duress, he perfected a robot he had been designing. His creation, named Mekano, was primarily remote controlled by an operator, but Foster also equipped it with an advanced, self-learning computer that quickly developed self-awareness and a loyalty to its creator. Together with Mekano, Foster rescued himself, his assistant Tommy, and investigative reporter Sandra Kent, from the Nazis.
   Foster went onto developing advanced weaponry for the U.S. War Department (including "smart bombs" that recognized exact targets before detonating). By 1960, he left government work and entered the private sector. He became one of the leading developers at the Toybox, a Parker Foundation-funded hi-tech firm providing technology for superheroes and extra-government organizations.

Art by Bob Oksner

BILL FOSTER (Male)
Brawn 21, Body 15, Brains 7
   Traits: Dead-Eye, Improv Master, Mad Scientist, Nimble
   Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Bitch Slap, Dodge, Knock Out, Murderous Mitts, Run Away!, Walk and Chew Gum
   Important Stuff/Worn Wielded: Ray Gun (Small Ranged Weapon, six shot, deals 5 points of damage that ignore armor).

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

A is for Atoma

This year's A To Z April here at NUELOW Games once again focuses on obscure public domain characters. We're going even more obscure this year, as we (well, probably mostly me, Steve Miller) will be giving NUELOW bios and ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game stats for sidekicks, love interests, and Frienemies of the characters we either described last year or are considering producing collections for in the future. First up...

ATOMA (first appearance Joe Palooka #15, 1947)
Atoma was a historian and rebel from the 25th century. She spent her childhood under the oppressive regime of the Mighty Chief, studying the ancient history of the United States of America, Denmark, Norway, Great Britain, and other of the world's great democracies, dreaming of some day living in such freedom. When she came across the memoirs of 20th century chemist and inventor Dr. Dusty Rhodes, she recognized herself within its pages and resolved to make sure events recorded in the book came to pass. She further decided that she would make sure that the Mighty Chief's government fell in the process, to be replaced with a society where all lived equal and free.

Atoma illustrated by her creator, Bob Powell

ATOMA (Female)
Brawn 29, Body 15, Brains 7
   Traits: Coldblooded, Martial Artist
   Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Dodge, Fly (only when wearing her flight suit), Murderous Mitts, Seduce, Strike Pose, Withering Insult.
   Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: High-tech Flight Suit (Armor, absorbs 3 points of damage. Grants Fly Combat Manuever while worn). Atomic Ray Gun (Small Ranged Weapon, deals 2 points of damage that ignore armor).

NUELOW Games titles are on sale at the usual outlets!

In observation of April Fools Day, all NUELOW Games releases are on sale at the usual outlets. Now is the perfect day to get that book or game supplement you've been on the fence about.

At RPGNow -- all of our listings are on sale!
Just one of the titles that are available!

At Wargame Vault -- all of our listings are on sale!
Just one of the titles that are available!

At DriveThru Comics -- all of our listings are on sale!
Just one of the titles that are available!


At DriveThru Fiction -- all of our listings are on sale!
Just one of the titles that are available!

At DriveThruRPG -- all of our listings are on sale!
Just one of the titles that are available!

After Midnight tonight, it won't be April 1st anymore, so don't delay! Get your NUELOW Games purchases now!

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Wild Bill Clanton vs. Steve Costigan

In our latest release, The Conquests of Wild Bill Clanton, we present the best of Robert E. Howard's "adult" short stories featuring the nasty character mentioned in the title. The book also contains game material for the OGL d20 System, some of it new, some of it revised from some of our previous releases, but all of it geared toward capturing the feel of Howard's "spicy" Wild Bill stories.

Art by Warren King
Wild Bill Clanton is like a dark reflection of Howard's Steve Costigan. They are both sailors with a knack for getting into trouble, they both are hard drinkers, they both have strong sexual appetites... but Clanton is a self-centered brute and a rapist while Costigan, for all his rough edges, is ultimately motivated by chivalrous and gentlemanly impulses when it comes to the "fairer sex."

While we included OGL d20 material in The Conquests of Wild Bill Clanton, we used the ROLF! game system to bring Steve Costigan to the gaming table in Fists of Foolishness, Shanghaied Mitts, ROLF!: Hammerin' Tongs, and ROLF!: The Tornado vs. Steve Costigan. However, since Wild Bill is the sort of person that Steve Costigan is likely to beat the living hell out of if the two ever cross paths, L.L Hundal & Steve Miller present this ROLF! battle scenario featuring both of Robert E. Howard's battling sailors.

The following text is Copyright 2015 by Steve Miller, but permission is granted to copy and print for personal use if you want to play the battle scenario.



WHEN STEVE MET BILL
Writing by Steve Miller * Editing by L.L. Hundal
(A ROLF! Battle Scenario featuring characters created by Robert E. Howard)

From the Adventures of Steve Costigan, as transcribed by R.E. Howard:
  I was on my way back to the Sea Gal after Lo Tan's wedding when I came across this little white gal, curled up in a ball at the mouth of a filthy alley, crying. It stabbed me in the heart to see such a pretty little thing, with beautiful red hair and freckled white skin, in such a state. Especially after I'd just spent the day surrounded by such happiness. I asked her what'd happened and when she looked at me, I saw that her face was swollen and bruised. I helped her to feet and saw that her dress was so shredded that it barely qualified as clothes anymore.
   I let her wrap herself in my jacket, and my sympathetic feelings turned to anger as she described how she'd been robbed and abused by a lout who'd promised to get her on a ship out of Shanghai. He'd beaten her--and worse--and then thrown her into the alley like so much garbage.
   I demanded to know where this felon could be found, and she pointed me to a door down the alley. "But he's dangerous," she said. "You've heard of Wild Bill Clanton, right? He kills people who cross him."
   "Not me," I told her. "I've never heard of him, and he won't have a chance to kill me, because I knock the blocks off of folks like him. I'll get you your money back, and I'll get you out of Shanghai."
   I marched down the alley to the door indicated with the shivering little woman following a few feet behind. "Be careful! Please be careful," she was saying. I paid her no mind and kicked down the door she'd indicated. Inside, in a small room, was one of the ugliest cusses I'd ever laid eyes on. But he was big, almost as big as any man I'd fought. And he he leapt to his feet and took a stance that told me he was a fighting man. He gritted his teeth and glared at me with fiery eyes. He was aiming a pistol at me. I can't say I blame him; I had just kicked down his door.
   "Are you Clanton," I demanded.
   "I am!" said he,  "Who the !#$% are you?!"
   "They call me Costigan," I told him and asked, "Did you hit a young lady and take advantage of her in her time of need?"
   "Probably, but I don't meet many ladies around here."
   I felt my blood getting hotter. Here was a guy that needed some serious whopping. But I've learned the hard way not to jump to conclusions just because some pretty girl says she's in trouble. I probably will never be able to go back to Okinawa due to a situation just like this one. But this Clanton fellow seemed like he was on the up-and-up--or, more accurately, like he was a low-down creep.
    So I said, "Did you hurt a little redheaded girl today? Did you rob her?"
    Clanton roared with laughter. "That slag? She's no lady! I don't know what she told you, but she had it coming. And I tell you, she enjoyed every--"
   That's when I lost my temper and charged him. Gun or no gun, I was going to knock some decency into him. No matter what a man thinks a woman may have done, he never he never has any justification for laying a hand on her. And he sure as hell doesn't force himself on her in any way whatsoever.

The Battle Scenario
The scenario is for two players and it uses the pre-generated characters detailed below. One player controls Steve Costigan, the other Wild Bill Clanton. The fight starts at Ranged distance and continues until either Costigan and Yvette or Clanton is defeated.
   If Costigan is defeated, Yvette leaps into the fray the following round, attacking Clanton. If she is also defeated... well, then we know why NUELOW Games isn't releasing anymore books or ROLF! supplements starring Steve Costigan.
   If Clanton is beaten, either Yvette or Costigan goes through his pockets and takes all his money. Costigan, if defeated, regains consciousness and takes Yvette to his ship, the Sea Gal, where she gets passage to its next port of call. Happy endings all around, except for Wild Bill Clanton.
 
   
Pre-Generated Characters
STEVE COSTIGAN (Male)
Brawn 33; Body 11; Brains 5
   Traits: Egomaniac, Short-tempered, Too Sexy for My Shirt.
   Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Disarm, Dodge, Knock Out, Murderous Mitts.
   Important Stuff Wielded/Worn: His Best Suit (Clothes).
   Special Note: Costigan is almost always in the company of Mike the White Bulldog. On the second round of a fight involving Costigan anywhere but in a boxing ring, Mike attacks the opponent with the lowest Body score, dealing 2 points of damage. Mike’s attacks are reduced by Armor or can be avoided with the Dodge Combat Maneuver. Mike attacks once each subsequent round, always targeting the character with the lowest Body score (other than Costigan). Mike fights for two rounds after Costigan goes down.

WILD BILL CLANTON (Male)
Brawn 30, Body 12, Brains 5
   Traits: Coldhearted, Egomaniac, Short-tempered
   Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Disembowel, Knock Out, Murderous Mitts, Run Away,
   Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: Pistol (Small Ranged Weapon, deals 2 points of damage that ignore armor). Knife ( Small Melee Weapon, deals 2 points of damage).

YVETTE FREISE (Female)
Brawn 21, Body 15, Brains 5
   Traits: Improv Master, Nimble, Too Sexy for My Shirt
   Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Castrate, Dodge, Double Strike, Strike Pose,
   Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: Tattered Dress (Clothes, barely covers nakedness)

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Wardrobe Malfunctions

She squealed as a rat ran across her foot, and jumped back against the wall, bruising her hip and tearing her panties on a broken plank.
--From the "Dragon of Koa Tsu" by Robert E. Howard (writing as Sam Walser)

In some of the sleazier action/adventure fiction, clothes get torn off characters during fights or while they are moving through harsh wildernesses. This also seems to happen in standard jungle adventures where clothes seem to get tattered and torn at an amazing rate.

The following game mechanics bring this trend to roleplaying games set in a pulp fiction environment, or other setting where armor is uncommon. (This material is presented under the Open Game License and may be reproduced in accordance with its terms. Copyright Steve Miller 2015.)

THE RULES
Whenever the character suffers melee damage in combat, fails a Reflex save, Dexterity check, or some other roll intended to avoid damage, the character's clothes are torn. They are ripped during combat, snagged on a piece of wood, or through some other environmental effect. Roll on the following table to determine what part of the character's clothes are damage.

Table 1: Damage to Clothes
1. Pants leg/skirt, lower (1-3 left side. 5-6 right side).
2. Pants leg/skirt, upper (1-3 left side, 5-6 right side).
4. Top front
5. Top back
6. No damage.

Each tear in the article of clothing either reveals undergarments or bare skin. After three tears, the article of clothing is in tatters and reveals more than it covers. The d6 rolls are then applied to any undergarments.

This system does not track damage to characters--that's what the normal combat system does. It merely disrobes them as action unfolds.

From "The Origin of Rulah" by Matt Baker
(and she may or may not be the subject of a NUELOW collection some day)

If you find the above mechanics useful/amusing, you may also like Feats of an Adult Nature and Feats of Seduction and Subterfuge, both for OGL d20  game systems.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

It's World Book Day!

It's World Book Day today, March 5. To celebrate, NUELOW Games is has reduced the prices on all our comics/rpg hybrid books and fiction collections 20, 30, or 50 percent, depending on the title -- with the majority being 30 or 50 percent off.



For example, Oriental Tales Vol. 1, which contains some of Robert E. Howard's finest writing, is 50 percent off its regular price.

Art by Margaret Brundage

And then there's The Werewolf Hunter #1, which contains never-before-reprinted comics starring Prof. Armand Broussard--the titular werewolf hunter--and fiction by Steve Miller that tells the never-before-revealed story behind how Nazi hunter Lady Satan became a powerful mystic and set out to hunt werewolves... not to mention fiction from Robert E. Howard and even more comics by the great Lee Elias.

Art by Margaret Brundage

There's also Complete Golden Age Oddballs: Angela & Miss Espionage. This book collects for the first time ever, all published Angela and Miss Espionage stories. The two characters are woven together in a short story by Steve Miller that expands Miss Espionage's background and makes Angela more than just another smart teenager.

Art by Ruth Atkinson
Click to check out the full selection of titles on sale at DriveThruComics and/or DriveThruFiction.