Showing posts with label Superheroes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Superheroes. Show all posts

Monday, June 10, 2013

NUELOW Heroes & Villains: Bikini Blur

Bikini Blur (aka Reiko Nakamura)
ROLF! Game Stats
This (and all write-ups for this series) relies on the basic ROLF! game, but may also use rules found in ROLF!: Something About Superheroes, ROLF!: POTS vs. PANS, and ROLF!: Mad Scientists Gone Wild. (Note: Sharp-eyed gamers may note some minor irregularities in the way the Super Power trait functions in these write-ups. Those are due to anticipated revisions coming with the ROLF!-powered superhero game that is in the works.)

Bikini Blur (aka Reiko Nakamura)
Brawn 14, Body 15, Brains 6
   Traits: Irrepressible Optimist, Nimble, Super Power (Derived from Alien Bikini. Only gained when Item is Worn: Super Speed, Furious Fists combat maneuver, Armor that absorbs up to 5 points of damage from all sources, even those that usually ignore armor. Limitation: The Alien Bikini only operates when it is the only thing Reiko is wearing.).
   Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Dodge, Run Away!, Walking Disaster Area.
   Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: Glittering Alien Bikini of Mysterious Origin (Clothes, barely covers nakedness). Taser (Small Melee Weapon, deals 2 points of damage that ignore armor; a gift from her dad).

Origin Story
The mystery woman known as Bikini Blur was just another high school girl from Osaka, fretting about her college exams when a chance encounter with a strange being from an alien planet altered her life forever.
   Reiko Nakamura was coming home from the library late one evening when she was blinded by a flash of light and knocked over by a powerful gust of wind. When her vision cleared, a green-skinned woman stood over her. Orange blood oozed from many deep wounds.
   "I have run as far as I could," the woman said--her voice reverberating in Reiko's very bones, "and I must pass the treasures of my kingdom onto you. Please guard them. Do not let them fall into the hands of the Dark Empress. The future of my race rests with you now."
   With that, light seemed to consume the woman's body, leaving behind only the glistening two-piece bathing suit she had worn. Wondering if she had cracked under the strain of too much studying, Reiko picked up the bikini, slipped it in her book-bag and continued on her way home and to bed.
   When Reiko woke up the next morning, she still thought of last night's events as proof her mind had snapped; but when she looked in her book-bag, the glistening, shimmering bikini was there. Whatever she had witnessed last night, it had really happened!
   Reiko decided to put the bikini on and found that it fit perfectly. As Reiko admired herself and the odd swimwear in the mirror, several hulking, armored men with green skin burst through the wall. "Surrender the treasure, alien female!" one of them bellowed, reaching for Reiko with his massive gauntled hand... but she wasn't there anymore. In fact, she was on a rooftop across the street, looking back at her shattered home in astonishment--she had merely wanted to back away from the horrible figure bearing down on on her, but in doing so somehow managed to leap clear across the street. The strange alien suit didn't exactly give her the ability to fly or teleport, but it let her move so fast that she might as well be able to--she had leapt out of the second floor of her house, run across the street and literally up the wall of the house there until, on the roof, where he thoughts finally caught up with her actions and she realized what was happening.
   Moments later, another group of aliens appeared in the street below. They shouted in a language she could not understand, some pointing at her, some pointing at her, some pointing at the armored beings peering through the hole in the wall to her bedroom. And then, the two groups starting fighting each other.
   Reiko thought it best if she fled the scene... and she's been running ever since. Later reuniting with her father, Chika, who narrowly escaped death as their house was destroyed, the pair now travel Japan and the East, seeking to unlock the secrets of Reiko's bikini, fending off their alien pursuers when they catch up to them and fighting crime and injustice when they encounter it.
   Meanwhile, journalist Taharo Akako is also on their tail. He's the one who named Reiko "Bikini Blur." Reiko wold love to meet him, but her father forbids it; he doesn't want a reporter broadcasting their location to the aliens (and he doesn't want a handsome man making time with his teenage daughter!)

Superpowers
Reiko has no powers of her own. Her abilities all derive from the alien bikini, which remains almost as mysterious to her as when she first put it on. It allows her to move extremely fast, hit opponents harder, and to cause a blurry aura around her that protects her--but since she only recently discovered that function, she and Chika both believe the suit is capable of much more.
   Much to both their chagrin--Chika in particular--the bikini's powers only operate if it is the only thing Reiko is wearing.

Enemies and Allies
Bikini Blur is hunted by the minions of the Dark Empress, and by a faction of uncertain loyalties that is led by the handsome alien Prince Hiromasa. She has also angered the powerful Yakuza boss Raiden, who has placed a bounty on her.
   Bikini Blur has crossed paths with Punk Rock, another young Japanese superheroine, a couple of times. They have become friends and subscribe to each other's Twitter feeds. Her father remains her protector and firmest ally.

FYI
Bikini Blur created by Carter-Ethan Rankin. Bikini Blur, Reiko Nakamura, and the displayed image have all been released into the public domain. Everything else in this post is presented under the Open Gaming License, and may be reproduced accordingly, and is Copyright Steve Miller 2013.

2013 -- the Year of the NUELOW Superhero?

This month, we're launching our series of comics collections (each of which will have game material, unlike the Robert E. Howard series where it rarely happened), but Steve Miller (me... speaking of myself in third person again) will also be writing stats and backgrounds for a series of characters that are being created by artist Carter-Ethan Rankin.

Like so many of our other projects, this effort is grounded in material that is in the public domain. Unlike so many of our other projects, Rankin's characters are brand new. He's designing their look, naming them, giving them a basic back story, and releasing them into the public domain for everyone to use (or abuse) as they see fit.

One of Rankin's creations I find particularly striking.
But will anything I write resemble the back-story he created?
If you're familiar with NUELOW Games' output, or if you have spent any time whatsoever with me at a gaming table, you know that I have a habit of reinventing characters and places as I go--oftentimes because I know better than the original creators. (For an example of this, check out ROLF!: Bat vs. Cat, where the NUELOW Black Cat is actually quite distinctive in her background from the Harvey Comics character she is based on. And, in the forthcoming His Honor and... The Demon book, I am editing and re-writing some word balloons and captions so the Black Cat's origins are changing from the Harvey one to the NUELOW one. At least that's the plan. We'll see if I ultimately like the result and follow through.)

So... as this project goes forward, some of the characters will be close to Rankin's creations. Others will be further afield, as I just appropriate his art and yoke it to something entirely different -- like we did with all the heroes featured in ROLF!: POTS vs. PANS.

Captain Bananahammock... he'll stay pretty much as Rankin created him.
At the end of all of this, I'm hoping that L.L Hundal and I will have finished the ROLF! superhero game that she's been futzing around with for the past several months. She's not yet happy with the modifications she feels need to be done to the character generation rules. When she's ready. I'll be hitting up you Gentle Readers to see if any of you want to do a little play-testing.

In the meantime, the superheroes that will be appear here in blog posts will use the rules presented in ROLF!: Something About Superheroes (which you can download for free) and ROLF!: Mad Scientists Gone Wild!. I'm confident that whatever Hundal ultimately does with character generation in the supers game, it's not going to impact the utility and compatibility of the characters in this series (and the eventual product that will emerge from it).

(Captain Bananahammock, and both images used in this post, are available for use by anyone, with only one condition is available for use by anyone, with only one condition. This paragraph must be included in any publication involving them, in order that others may use this property as they wish. That said, any specific NUELOW Games text and creations surrounding the art are under copyright of NUELOW Games and myself; the character and idea are free for anyone and everyone to use. The displayed image has been declared public domain to give creators a starting point. To quote Carter-Ethan Rankin: "All rights reversed.")

Watch for the arrival of superheroes, right here at the NUELOW Games blog!

Sunday, November 25, 2012

The Complete Adventures of
Pepsiman & Lemon-Pepsiwoman!


Over at Cracked.com, they posted an article spotlighting superheroes created to promote products and companies. While most of them are pretty lame, how can one not love Pepsiman and Lemon-Pepsiwoman? In fact, I think they'd be perfect for ROLF! games. Pepsi should pay us to make a series of Pepsiman ROLF! products.

Think I'm wrong? Check out this compilation of all the Pepsiman commercials. That's a whole lot of ROLF! inspiration that is!



Since the likelihood of Pepsi paying us to do Pepsiman products is pretty close to Zero, here are ROLF! stats for Pepsiman and Lemon-Pepsiwoman for your enjoyment anyway. (Which means they may sue us instead....)

New Combat Maneuver
Dispense Pepsi/Dispense Lemon Diet Pepsi: When using this maneuver successfully, the character makes cans or bottles of Pepsi appear in the hands of all characters involved in a fight. All other characters must stop whatever they're doing to drink the tasty Pepsi product in their hands, losing any remaining actions the round the maneuver was used, as well as any during the full ABBA cycle the following round. Characters drinking Pepsi feel refreshed and regain 5 lost Brawn points (up to their starting maximum). In order to have this Combat Maneuver, a character must have the Robot Trait, and he must have the word "Pepsi" in his name. ATT Body.


Pepsiman (Male?)
Brawn 30, Body 18, Brains 5
Traits: Hard to Kill, Robot
Combat Maneuvers: Dispense Pepsi, Furious Fists, Run Away!, Seduce, Strike Pose.
Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: Super-Armor (Armor. Absorbs up to 5 points of damage, even from sources that usually ignore armor).


Lemon-Pepsiwoman (Female?)
Brawn 30, Body 20 (includes +1 Hat Bonus), Brains 4
Traits: Busty, Hard to Kill, Robot
Combat Maneuvers: Bitch Slap, Dispense Lemon Diet Pepsi, Run Away!, Seduce, Strike Pose
Important Stuff Worn/WieldedImportant Stuff Worn/Wielded: Super-Armor (Armor. Absorbs up to 5 points of damage, even from sources that usually ignore armor). Yellow Ski Mask (Hat. +1 to Body ATT when worn).

(For more ROLF! superhero goodness, check out "Bullets to the Head" and "Bat Meets Cat.")

Sunday, August 26, 2012

NUELOW Games: The only RPG publisher covering the GOP convention!

Yep. We're on the cutting edge all right! What other RPG publisher has produced a game supplement to tie in with the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida? There isn't one!

And to top it off, we even incorporated the fact that a hurricane is bearing down upon the city! We're not only on the cutting edge... we ARE the cutting edge!


In ROLF!: Mister Freedom vs. Blowhard, Joe Biden (in his secret superhero identity of Mister Freedom) squares off against the villainous Blowhard and his Siren sidekicks in order to save Florida and the Republicans. But will Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan help or hinder him?!

Click here to see previews of ROLF!: Mister Freedom vs. Blowhard, or to do you part to stimulate the economy and get your own copy for just $0.50.,

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Presenting... ROLF!: When Bat Meets Cat!

In Guardian City's War on Crime, no one fights harder than the mask-wearing superheroes. These are their stories.

*Dumn-Dumng!!*


A superhero with "Bat" in his name. A mystery woman with "Cat" in her name. Controversial comments involving chicken sandwiches. Protests! Counter-protests!

Could we possibly squeeze any more exploitation material into one 6 page product? Well, maybe. It all depends on how you want to interpret the fact we named the villain Chickenhawk.

ROLF!: Bat Meets Cat is the latest supplement for L.L. Hundal & Steve Miller's humorous ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game of Big Dumb Fighters. This superhero-orientated product features five pre-generated characters, several new combat maneuvers and traits, and a fearsome new Spelling.

Click here to look at previews, or to get your own copy for just $0.60.

Friday, July 6, 2012

All in color... for just six dimes!

The true story of how the very first ROLF! color products came to be:

L.L. Hundal: If we're doing more superheroes, we should do them in color.

Steve Miller: But the ROLF! style is black-and-white line art.

L.L. Hundal: It's my line. We can break the style if I want. I think we should do color art.

Steve Miller: Okay. If you want to do color, you need to produce a color cover illo.

[Fifteen Minutes Later...]

L.L. Hundal: Done. Now make "POTS vs. PANS" in color.

And so, the latest NUELOW Games excursion into superheroics is all in color for just six dimes!


This supplement for ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game of Big Dumb Fighters features nine pre-generated super-charcters (each with their own full-length, four-color portrait), new Combat Maneuvers and Traits, and everything you need to make your own ROLF! super-characters.

Click here for more information, or to get your own copy!