A Happy Canada Day to those folks a few miles north of me!

Happy birthday to Canada, the country that spawned such great talent as Barry Blair and William Shatner! And then there's Carter-Ethan Rankin, whose creations we've been leaning heavily on for the past few weeks here at the NUELOW Games blog, as pretty much every character that's appeared so far in the NUELOW Heroes and Villains series was conceived by him. (And if time allows, there will be yet another character drawn from one of his creations later today... the oft-mentioned Hot Shot.)

 But, as a change of pace, and to honor Canada's birthday, here's a character with ROLF! stats that's not created by Rankin, yet is still so Canadian that he probably bleeds maple syrup. Or maybe de-icing something-or-other.

DIXON OF THE MOUNTED (Male)
Brawn 21, Body 18 (includes +1 Hat Bonus), Brains 7
    Traits: Dead-Eye, Saddle Bum, Sense of Honor
   Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Deflect, Disarm, Dodge, Knock Out, Murderous Mitts, Sure Shot
   Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: Red Mounties Coat (Armor, absorbs 1 point of damage). Mountie Hat (provides +1 Body ATT while worn). Service Revolver (Small Ranged Weapon, deals 2 points of damage). Rifle (Medium Ranged Weapon, deals 4 points of damage that ignore armor).

Dixon starred in the first seven issues of Bell Features's Active Comics, where he always got his man (when he wasn't rescuing his lady-friend Ruth Barton).
   (Dixon was created using battle maneuvers included in ROLF!: Bathtime on Bear Creek.)

'You're rightly named, Lady Satan!"

The latest release from NUELOW Games brings you tales of two masked women who are likely to put you in a bodybag if you're less than a perfect gentleman on the first date.

Lady Satan features six tales of action from the Golden Age of Comics, in which Lady Satan takes out Nazis in occupied France during World War 2, and the Veiled Avenger whips criminals into shape back in the U.S.A. The book also contains brief text pieces discussing the featured comics, and ROLF! statistics and a battle scenario so you can have Lady Satan and the Veiled Avenger fight each other or take on the nefarious Viscount Todschenkt. Like previous NUELOW Games comics collections, Lady Satan is presented in presented in black-and-white--as is only fitting for tales of femme fatales of the 1940s.

History buffs may be interested in knowing that Lady Satan was an early creation of George Tuska, who would go on to help establish Luke Cage, the first black superhero to carry his own title, as well as celebrated runs on Iron Man for Marvel Comics and World's Finest Comics Starring Superman and Batman for DC Comics. Additionally, the four Veiled Avenger tales in the book are the entirety of her published adventures. (There are other Lady Satan stories, but they were not done by Tuska and are quite different in nature than the two featured in this book. Click here to see previews of Lady Satan and download your own copy.

And, as a preview of things to come, here's a sample of what future Lady Satan adventures will entail, as we  bring them to you in the horror anthology Werewolf Hunter:

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NUELOW Heroes and Villains: Prancebot 2.0

It's the superhero you want at your party... maybe! This is another write-up based on a character created by Carter-Ethan Rankin and released into the public domain. In fact in this post, except the stat block, is also public domain and may be used freely by anyone who chooses to do so. (The stat block is Open Gaming Content, and is published under this license. Copyright 2013 Steve Miller.)

Prancebot 2.0 (aka Jason Kelly)

PRANCEBOT 2.0 (Male/Robot)
(aka Jason Kelly)
Brawn: 23, Body 20, Brains 8
   Traits: Martial Artist, Nimble, Robot, Super Power (Personal/Permanent: Super Speed, plus Holographic Image Projection/Armor bonus).
   Combat Maneuvers: Backflip, Basic Attack, Dance Move, Disarm, Furious Fists, Seduce
   Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: Built-in Holographic Image Projector (Armor. Absorbs up to 2 points of damage. While functioning, the Holographic Image Projector allows Prancebot 2.0 to appear as a perfect copy of any person that is in the holo-imaging database, as well as a wide selection of "generic" people who don't actually exist. The holographic images are all dressed in various styles of party clothes and evening wear. The projection stops working once Prancebot's armor has absorbed 2 points of damage. It can be repaired, of course.). Laser Sword (Medium Weapon [when activated], deals 3 points of damage that ignore armor).

Origin Story
Suffering from Gulf War Syndrome and extremely depressed, Captain Jason Kelly felt he had nowhere to go but down... until offered a chance by the US government to join an extremely top secret new program! Upon accepting, Jason Kelly was no more for his consciousness was fused with an artificial cyborg body and became: Prancebot 2.0!
   As Prancebot 2.0, Kelly infiltrates the parties of the rich and famous to protect them from terrorists and to ferret out evil in their midst (such as those who fund terrorists). He also hangs out with their teenage children to monitor them and prevent them from being recruited into extremist organizations.

Powers
As a cybernetic being, Prancebot 2.0 is immune to most diseases and extremely resistant to injury. Through advanced bio-holographic imaging technology, he has the ability to appear as virtually anyone on planet Earth (at least anyone who has been caught on one of the millions upon millions of hidden cameras the NSA has secreted around the globe), in an illusion so real that it even stands up to close, physical contact. Similarly, he can perfectly mimic the voice of anyone on Earth who has ever used a phone or an innercom system.

Enemies and Allies
Prancebot 1.0 is his greatest enemy. The original Prancebot went rogue after decided that it was wrong for the government to be spying on parties without notifying anyone in attendance. After being laughed at by every media outlet he approached with his story, except www.infowars.com, he decided his only option to stop the intrusion was to destroy his replacement. There are also a number of terrorist masterminds and drug lords who want to see Prancebot 2.0 on the scrapheap.
   Prancebot 2.0 can call upon the full resources of the U.S. government, and he is a friend and ally to other pro-American superheroes.

NUELOW Heroes and Villains: Dumbfounder

Here's another superhero for your gaming pleasure, Dumbfounder. He was originally created by Carter-Ethan Rankin and released into the public domain for every creative soul to play with. In a similar spirit, I am releasing this post under the Open Gaming License, and everything in it except the the characters of Black Bat, Dr. Steelface and Zombots (which are product identity, as defined in the license) is Open Game Content. Copyright 2013 Steve Miller.

Dumbfounder (aka Franklin Stein)

DUMBFOUNDER (Male)
(aka Franklin Stein)
Brawn 28, Body 14, Brains 7
   Traits: Honorable, Super Power (Personal: Super Strength, no extra bonus), Unstoppable
   Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Double Strike, Furious Fists, Signature Move
   Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: Massive Club (large melee weapon, deals 5 points of damage).
   Special Character Note: Dumbfounder has the ability to seize control of a Zombot within his line of sight with a successful Brains ATT check. He may use one action each round to direct the creature. The Zombot will follow simple commands on its own until the action is finished, such as "Attack him until dead" or "Break down that door."

Origin Story
Career criminals like Franklin Stein are not known for making good life choices. Franklin made his final bad choice when he returned to the secret lab of his boss, Dr. Steelface, without the enriched wonderinum that Black Bat had prevented him from stealing. He had assumed that Dr. Steelface would give him a couple Zombots and a death-ray gun to go take revenge on the meddler... but instead, Frankin was made the subject of Steelface's latest experiment in the reanimation of dead bodies via soul transfers.
   Steelface's theory was that when properly channeled, the spiritual energy of the human soul could bring a recently dead body back to life, the same was a defibrilator restarts a stopped heart. He was proven right--when he shot the captured soul of a Mormon missionary, who had been unfortunate enough to known on his door last week, Franklin's dead body sprang back to life, even stronger than before.
   But Steelface's experiment worked too well. Instead of the super-Zombot he had hoped for, Frankin rose not as a mindless creature who could be controlled remotely via cybernetic implants and mad science but as a man with a new-found concience and a desire to make the world a better place. He escaped from Steelface's lab (after trashing it and beating Steelface himself within an inch of his life), and he has been traveling the world fighting oppression and thwarting the schemes of mad scientists whereever he finds them. (And he finds them quite often, because, as a former minion of Steelface, he knows where some of their bases are.)
   Franklin took the name Dumbfounder, because heroes and villains alike are dumbfounded when he turns out to be one of the good guys.

Powers
Dumbfounder has superhuman strength and increased resistance to injury. He also has the ability to mentally seize control of a single Zombot in his vicinity thanks to the psychic-cybernetic implant that was supposed to make him a puppet of Dr. Steelface.

Enemies and Allies
While anyone who's had their facilities trashed by Dumbfounder is his enemy, Dr., Steelface is particularly devoted. Hewants Dumbfounder captured and brought back to his lab so he can determine what went wrong with his experiment, but if that proves too difficult he is okay with Dumbfounder being brought back dead. He has yet to develop any allies, but continues to wander the world in his one-monster crusade.

Note
You can find more information on Dr. Steelface and Zombots in ROLF!: Mad Scientists Gone Wild.

NUELOW Heroes and Villains: Blaxplosion

It's time for another write-up of a hero created by Carter-Ethan Rankin and placed in the public domain -- allow me to introduce Blaxplosion into the ever-growing rogues gallery of NUELOW Heroes and Villains. (The artwork and character of Blaxplosion are public domain, but the rest of this post is presented under the Open Gaming License. Copyright 2013 by Steve Miller.)
   Blaxplosion was created using rules found in ROLF!: Mad Scientists Gone Wild and ROLF!: Bullets to the Head.

Blaxplosion (aka Pam Coffey)

BLAXPLOSION
(aka Pamela "Pam" Coffey)
Brawn 20, Body 15, Brains 11
   Traits: Coldhearted, Dead Eye, Mad Scientist (Fire-based weapon/death ray gun in exchange for 3 Combat Maneuver slots), Stone Cold Killer, Super Power (Item-based: Flight, no additional abilities).
   Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Bitch Slap, Battle Cry, Dodge, Sure Shot, The Look, Withering Insult
   Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: Superhero Outfit (Armor, absorbs up to 2 points of damage), Fire Gun (fire-based "death-ray gun" modified with Body ATT Damage and +3 to Base Damage). Rocket\Pack (provides Flight superpower).

Origin Story
Pamela Coffey never did understand why her stepbrother Dwayne gave up on being a superhero (see DMC for details)., but she decided that she would fight crime even if he would not. Since she had no special powers, Pam instead devoted herself to mastering science and engineering disciplines, pushing herself so hard that by the age of 24 she had doctorates in both mechanical engineering and chemistry. She secretly used her advanced knowledge to design a variety of gadgets that she put to use in her own costumed identity--Blaxplosion.
   In her normal identity, Pam is the youngest tenured professor at Guardian State University. She is unfailingly soft-spoken and polite, except when her intellectual abilities are challenged in any way--then whoever is so bold needs to watch out.
   As Blaxplosion, she is brash, loud, and talks like she just stepped out of a 1970s blacksploitation film, a genre which happens to be her secret guilty viewing pleasure.
   Blaxplosion is a hero for hire, and her services don't come cheap for those who can afford it. For others, she charges what she thinks they can afford and makes up the difference by stealing cash and other valuables from the evil-doers she battles. (Maintaining a arsenal of hi-tech, flame-based gadgets is neither easy nor cheap.)

Powers
Blaxplosion has no powers, but instead replies upon her various weapons and gadgets.

Enemies and Allies
Just about everyone whom Blaxplosion has defeated can be counted among her enemies--if they're still alive. Blaxplosion doesn't just beat her foes... he goes out of her way to insult and humiliate them. Then, to add further insult to injury she robs them.
   Blaxplosion can call upon her brother for help, but is unlikely to do so, because she still resents that he walked away from what she has always seen as his responsibility the defenseless people in the world. She has also provided Hot Shot and other members of P.A.N.S. with gadgets or upgrades, so she has a friendly relationship with that superhero association. (She can't join, however, as she's Canadian.)
   Blaxplosion recently teamed up with the mysterious American superheroine Wildfire. Their shared love of fire will undoubtedly lead them to work with each other again in the future.

Available now: 'Film Fun Comics Vol. 2: The Black Cat vs. HIM!'

NUELOW Games's second installment in the Film Fun Comics series, "Black Cat vs. HIM." is now available at all the usual outlets. Click here to see previews and to get your own copy.

Film Fun Comics Vol. 2: The Black Cat vs. HIM features artwork by Joe Kubert and Lee Elias, as they bring to glorious black-and-white life seven tales of the original Black Cat's exploits during the Golden Age of Hollywood. The book also includes ROLF! game stats for some of Black Cat's friends and foes, as well as a brand-new fiction piece by writer and series editor Steve Miller, whose previous credits include tie-in fiction for the Star Wars and Dragonlance settings.

In addition to the previews at DriveThruComics.com, DriveThruFiction.com, and DriveThruRPG.com, you can get a taste of what's the book in this post at the Shades of Gray blog, by clicking here.

We hope you decide to get a copy of Film Fun Comics Vol. 2: The Black Cat vs. HIM. Please let us know what you think of it, either here or by leaving a rating on the listings page.

NUELOW Heroes & Villains: Rock God

Finishing up the soon-to-be-released second volume of "Film Fun Comics" has absorbed my time the last couple of days, but. at long last, here's another character write-up based on a creation by Carter-Ethan Rankin. The display illo and character names Rock God and Dominic Kostopolis are public domain, but all text in this post is published under the Open Gaming License. Copyright 2013 by Steve Miller,
   Note: Rock God was created using the rules for divine beings found in ROLF!: Angels, Demons & Death.

Rock God (aka Dominic Kostopolis)

ROCK GOD (Male)
(aka Dominic Kostopolis)
Brawn 28, Body 20, Brains 8
   Traits: Agent of the Divine, Wings, Unstoppable
   Combat Maneuvers: Battle Cry, Dance Move, Debate Philosophy, Fly, Seduce, Spelling (Song of Finality), Strike Pose,Yodel
   Important Stuff Worn/Wielded: Guitar of the Apollo (Large Melee AND Ranged Weapon. Deals 5 of melee damage OR 3 points of ranged).

Origin Story
When the Greek god of music Apollo recently returned to Earth to do some catching up, he was appalled at the state of popular music and the lack of musical education among the supposed cultured and elite members of the various civilizations.
   Apollo briefly considered striking down 90 percent of musicians, performers, and groupies with a real "Beiber Fever" but chose instead to imbue struggling guitarist Dominic Kostopolis with divine powers to be an example to other musicians and spread good music across the globe.
   Dominic is presently in the third year of a hugely successful, non-stop tour with his band Sons of Icarus; it will eventually rival that of the Grateful Dead in length. While he mostly focuses on performing and teaching young musicians the way of real music, he has more than once entered a night club to stop musical crimes under the guise of "dub-step."

Enemies and Allies
Sonic Wave, superpowered mercenary and founder of the Vanilla Ice fan club back in the day, has been hired by talent agents and music industry executives to stop Rock God before his messages reaches too many. The two have yet to clash, but Sonic Wave is getting ready to make his move.