ROLF!: The Original Feminist RPG?

We're not exactly marketing geniuses here at NUELOW Games. If anything shows that, it's the fact that we never did brag about the fact that ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game of Big Dumb Fighters included rules for playing homosexual characters until certain big names in the RPG field were being patted on the back for being cutting-edge and inclusive. (Never mind we were there YEARS before they were.)

So it occurs to us... maybe we should start bragging about how ROLF! was the FIRST RADICAL FEMINIST RPG EVER PUBLISHED before someone else stakes out that position. Even if we weren't the first, we're certainly the only Feminism Friendly RPG with more than 100 supplements available for it. There's no question we're the only Feminism Friendly rollplaying game available!

After all, ROLF! is the only game where Female characters can generally turn out to be more capable than Male characters... and it's been that way since the very first version in 1995! (When making a Female character, the player 2d6 to determine the Brains Attribute, which in turn decides how many Combat Maneuvers the character has. Male characters only get a roll of 2d4 to determine Brains.)

How's this for a marketing effort that highlights our trail-blazing feminism-friendly game?:

If you haven't checked out the ORIGINAL Radical Feminist RPG, you need to do so now... before someone decides you're a woman-hating gynophobe!!

ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game -- Promoting Kick-ass Feminism for 20 Years!

On sale for just $0.50 through the end of May!

 

Five tales of one of comicdom's original androids... and OGL Modern rules!

Androids are a mainstay of comics, and in our new comics/rpg hybrid book, Dynamic Man, NUELOW Games presents the adventures of one of comicdom's earliest androids--before he was ret-conned into a high school basketball coach named Bert. As far as we know, this is the first time these stories have ever been collected in one place.

Art by Bill Madden & Charles Sultan

Dynamic Man features five tales of superhero action straight from the Golden Age of Comics. In addition, it contains rules for creating your own super-powered android player characters for OGL Modern and other d20 System-powered games that use feats and talent trees. (This system is fully compatible with other NUELOW Games OGL supplements, such as Feats of Mysticism and Magic and the superpower rules in Madden's Boys.)

Click here to get your copy of Dynamic Man, or to see previews.

I'm Steve Miller, and today's my birthday!

And I'm hoping that we can give each other gifts!

I'm putting some of the most noteworthy NUELOW Games titles on sale, as well as some of my favorites and/or ones that have fiction in them that I wrote. Several of these titles mark the first (and, as far as I know, still the ONLY time) that the stories within have been reprinted and collected in one place.

My gift to you is savings on great comics, roleplaying game material, and fiction. Your gift to me is the royalties I get on the sales AND the warm-and-fuzzy feeling I get whenever one of the NUELOW Games titles makes it to a general top-seller list.

Here are the titles that are discounted through May 10, 2015; click on the links beneath the cover images to see previews, prices, and to get your copy. (And while you're shopping, check our Sci-Fi Sale!)

The only compete collection of the
Kismet and the Penny Parker series.
Includes OGL d20 System rules.

The only complete collection of the
Miss Espionage and the Angela series.
Includes fiction by Steve Miller, and rules for,
the OGL d20 System and ROLF! game.

The only complete collection of the
Iron Lady series. With fiction by Steve Miller
and a full ROLF! supplement.

Horror comics and fiction from
Saul Rosen, Robert E. Howard, and Steve Miller

An innovative magic system  for d20 Games.
It is expanded upon in many NUELOW releases.

The only full collection of Ralph Mayo & Ann Adams' Starlight series.
Contains a Native American OGL d20 setting.

Golden Age teen superheroes from Bill Madden.
With game rules for OGL d20, ROLF!,
and Hideots & Hoodlums

 

The only complete collection of the Ginger & Snap series.
Light gender-swapping comedy, with a complete
ROLF! supplement included.

NUELOW's flagship game!
(We gave options for gay characters before it was cool!)

Now Available: 'Iron Lady'

Heiress Doris Parker was one of the most prolific serial killers in history, a fact that only came to light after her death. NUELOW Games proudly presents Iron Lady, a chronicle of Parker's initial steps down a path of vengeance-fueled brutality and murder. (The story of how we came to publish this book can be found in this previous post at the NUELOW Games blog.)

Art by Bernard Sachs

The book contains sections of Parker's life adapted to comics by Bernard Sachs & Dan Zolnerowich, direct excerpts from her diaries selected by editor Steve Miller, and rules for ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game of Big Dumb Fighters that lets you bring Doris "Iron Lady" Parker to your gaming table. (Because, let's face it... most player characters in RPGs would probably be labeled as serial killers, too.)

Click here here to see previews or to get your own copy for this landmark publication. The book can also be purchased at RPGNow, DriveThruRPG, and DriveThruFiction.

V is for Voodoo Queen

Voodoo Queen (first appearance in Police Comics #10, 1942)
  

Art by Alex Kotzky

Xali Garou was raised from a young age to be a spiritual conduit that is key to many voodoo ceremonies. After leaving the sleepy little bayou village of her childhood for the excitement of Empire City, she fell in with a group of criminals who used voodoo as part of their methods. Assuming the loas were pleased with such things--or they would step in to stop it--and liking the luxuries the ill-gotten riches were getting her, Xali became an active participant in the crimes. She rose to a leadership role in the criminal syndicate while also assuming a prominent role in the local community of Creoles and Haitians who practiced the religion of Voodoo.

Xali, together with the gang's chief voodoo priest, concocted a scheme of blackmail and intimidation where they targeted rich citizens who were secret or open believers in voodoo; they demanded large sums of money from several believers, and then killed those who refused to pay in manners that appeared to be voodoo curses. This both swelled their coffers and the ranks of followers of the local Voodoo cult.

A secondary motivation for this plot was to lure the superhero Manhunter into the gang's clutches, so they could offer him as a sacrifice to the spirits (and so eliminating a hindrance to their operation while gaining favor from the voodoo spirits). There was never any doubt in Xali's mind that he would come to them, because they were so obviously behind the voodoo murders.

But on the night they sprang their trap for Manhunter, and they waited for him to arrive, Xali became filled with an irrational impatience and hatred toward her co-conspirators. Believing they had failed to properly execute her orders, she lashed out at them and in the ensuing fight, she was killed. When Manhunter arrived on the scene, the voodoo temple was engulfed in flames and the criminals had mostly already killed each other.

THE FATE OF THE VOODOO QUEEN
Xali the Voodoo Queen's downfall happened because the loas were not pleased with the gang's criminal activity. Her erratic behavior on the night that should have been the gang's eve of triumph and victory was caused by one of the spirits she had channeled earlier staying behind and pushing every paranoid instinct that she possessed--until she finally snapped. (Although Xali died that night, her story did not end there. She will return in another few posts as we bring the A to Z April Blogging Challenge to a close next week.)

Here are stats for the Voodoo Queen in the ROLF! game system

VOODOO QUEEN (Female)
(aka Xali Garou)
Brawn 19, Body 18, Brains 5
   Traits: Nimble, Spelling
   Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Dance Move, Seduce, Spellings (Bad Touch, You'll Only Hurt Yourself), Strike Pose
   Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: Ceremonial Garb (Bikini AND Armor, barely covers nakedness, absorbs 1 point of damage). Whip (Medium Melee Weaponj, deals 2 points of damage).

And when I get some feedback from L.L. Hundal, this is where there will be rules for...

SPIRITUAL CURSES in OGL d20 and OpenD6)

U is for Unknown Soldier

Unknown Soldier (first appeared in Our Flag #1, 1941)

Unknown Soldier is a mysterious figure about whom little is known. He is presumed to be an American, but, in truth, no one even knows for certain whether he is one individual or a group of them who share the identity. Even reporter Thelma Gordon whose investigation into the Unknown Soldier led to a brief physical relationship with him, never learned his real name nor got any confirmation whether he is one or many. (In August 1943. the United States Secret Service and War Department  requested that Gordon stop all research into the Unknown Soldier. She complied, but abbreviated versions of her notes on the Unknown Soldier were included in her memoirs, My Life Between the Capes.)
   The public appearance of the Unknown Soldier was in April of 1941, during a massive Nazi bombing raid on the British Isles. At that time, he wore a blue uniform with no insignias or designs and a blue mask. A few months later, he appeared in the United States, wearing a brown uniform with five stars on the chest. His mask was yellow... and he wore tight shorts and black riding boots. (In her book, Gordon noted, "I can't say much for his fashion sense, but he filled those shorts nicely.")
                                                              Art by Art Saaf (left) and B. Currie (right) 

   Whether he was one or many, the Unknown Soldier fought on the side of the Allied Forces in World War 2,.He was generally found on the home front, battling Axis spies and agents, as well as exposing their hidden allies sympathizers in the halls of power who sought to weaken the democratic nations from within. He usually worked closely with both law enforcement and military officials, and he seemed to have the backing of at least the United States military -- hence the demand that Gordon stop her research into his identity and how he came to be who is he was (or they were).
   The Unknown Soldier appeared to have some degree of invulnerability, superhuman strength, and the ability to fly. He could also spin through the air fast enough to create a mini-tornado with himself as the eye of the storm. He also carried a specially-designed gun that fired explosive rounds instead of normal bullets.
   The Unknown Soldier fought Axis forces in Great Britain and all over the United States and Canada from 1941 until June of 1945--after which time he disappeared as suddenly as he had arrived on the scene. He remains unknown to this day, seventy years later. In fact, all records relating to Unknown Soldier are so highly classified that both the U.S. and British governments deny they even exist.

WHO WAS THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER?
We're going to keep him mysterious, but whether he's one or many, he has the following traits, if viewed through the lense of our OGL d20 Superpowers system.

   * At minimum, he possesses the following Minor Power feats: Flight, Invulnerability, Speed, and Strength (which are all described in this post).
   * At minimum, he possesses the following talents: Resistance to Harm (from the Invulnerable tree) and Speed I, Speed II, and Speed III (from the Speed tree),

Additionally, the Unknown Soldier who wore the short-shorts and stars on his chest must possess this feat:

Shameless [General] 
You keep your cool in situations where most others would either be ashamed, embarrassed or painfully self-aware.
    Benefit: +2 bonus to Bluff and all Perform skill checks.
    Special: If the character has 5 or more ranks in Perform (acting), this feat grants a +2 synergy bonus to Diplomacy skill checks.

Special Note: L.L. Hundal contributed to this post. The Shameless feat is presented under the Open Game License, and it may be reproduced accordingly. Copyright 2015 Steve Miller.

T is for Thelma Gordon

Thelma Gordon [first appeared in Pep Comics #5, 1940]

Art by Harry Lucey

Thelma Gordon was a journalist who was the friend and lover of so many superheroes during the 1940s that Pat Patriot once sarcastically referred to her as a "cape cuddler."
   Beginning with Rainbow in 1940 (whom she, initially unknowingly, stole away from her best friend Elsie Norris), Thelma was romantically or sexually involved with over twenty superheroes and mystery men. During every one of these involvements, she assisted them in their crimefighting but never donned a costume herself. At one time a society columnist and obituary editor, Thelma began mixing business and pleasure to became one of the nation's foremost reporters on the lives and activities of masked champions of justice.
   Among Thelma's more noteworthy relationships (in rough chronological order) are the aforementioned Rainbow, the Falcon, Comet, the Hangman, the Press Guardian, Bulldog Denny (whose engagement broke up as a result of their affair), Firefly, Scarlet Avenger, the Green Knight, Dynamic Man, the Voice, Red Rube (until she realized he was actually a 14-year-old boy who mystically transformed himself into an adult slab of beefcake), the Hood, Black Kitten (the female version, rumored), the Unknown Soldier, the Scarlet Arrow, Black Cobra (the straight one), the Menace, the King of Darkness, Mr. Satan, Spacehawk, Mighty Man, and the Daisy (alleged).
   In March of 1950, shortly after the rumors of her lesbian affair with the Daisy began, Thelma was found brutally murdered. The prime suspect in the killing was inventor Jill Trent. Jill's name was cleared when the Daisy and some of Thelma's ex-lovers (Hangman, Rainbow, the Voice, and the King of Darkness) investigated and brought her real killer--the mad scientist Dr. Dread, an enemy of both Trent and one of Thelma's former lovers, the Firefly--to justice.
   Her posthumously published memoirs, My Life Between the Capes, (edited by the Press Guardian and Red Rube, as in his secret identity Red Rube grew up to be a journalist and editor himself) remains one of the most insightful books on the superhero community during the 1940s, despite its more salacious aspects and how it avoids revealing too many secrets of the men she knew and loved.


THELMA GORDON (Female)
Brawn 13, Body 15, Brains 7
   Traits: Irrepressible Optimist, Nimble
   Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Castrate, Disarm, Dodge, Seduce, Strike Pose, Withering Insult,
   Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: Fashionable Dress (Clothes). Purse (Small Melee Weapon, deals 2 points of damage). Notepad (One-shot Ranged Weapon, deals 1 point of damage).
 




Special Note: In actually published comics, Thelma Gordon was the girlfriend of the Comet. After he was killed by gangsters, she began dating his brother, the Hangman. Everything else in this post is the original invention of L.L. Hundal and Steve Miller (with a tip o' the hat to Owen K.C. Stephens for helpful advice).