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!

Available Now: "Film Fun Comics Vol. 1"!

Click here to see previews or to get a copy of Film Fun Comics Vol. 1: Stuntman!

We've enjoyed some success with our ROLF!-based superhero releases, and we were happy with the sales on our first excursion into comics with "ROLF!: Turkey Shoot." Plus, we here at NUELOW Games like both comic books and classic superhero adventures, so we're upping the ante with a new series of books -- Film Fun Comics!

Each entry in this new series (which is projected to run at least 4 pdf-format e-books) will collect some great Golden Age comics set against the backdrop of the Golden Age of Hollywood... with actors and actresses putting on fighting togs to take on the criminal underworld!

Here's the cover image for Film Fun Comics, Vol. 1: Stuntman. It will contain four of Stuntman's greatest cases and a ROLF! battle scenario, along with several pre-generated characters. The Stuntman comics were all written and drawn by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, and they were selected from the pages of vintage issues of All-New Comics, Black Cat, The Green Hornet Fights Crime, and Thrills of Tomorrow.

By way of further preview, here are the ROLF! game stats for Stuntman and his supporting cast. Other characters and an all-new Trait will also be featured in the book.

DON DARING (Male)

Brawn 15; Body 18; Brains 4
Traits: Irrepressible Optimist, So Very British
Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Seduce, Strike Pose, Withering Insult
Important Stuff Wielded/Worn: Notebook (Melee OR One-shot Ranged Weapon. Deals 1 point of damage). Expensive Suit, Deer-stalker Hat.

SANDRA SYLVAN (Female)
Brawn: 14; Body 19; Brains 6
   Traits: Busty, Improv Master, Nimble
   Combat Maneuvers: Basic Attack, Disarm, Dodge, Seduce, Strike Pose, The Look
   Important Stuff Wielded/Worn: Fashionable Clothes.

STUNTMAN (aka Fred Drake, Male)
Brawn 28 (includes +1 Hat bonus), Body 18, Brains 8
   Traits: Honorable, Nimble
   Combat Maneuver: Backflip, Basic Attack, Dodge, Human Cannonball, Knock Out, Murderous Mitts, Signature Move
   Important Stuff Wielded/Worn: Superhero Outfit (Armor, absorbs up to 2 points of damage), Stuntman Mask (Hat, +1 to Brawn when worn).

To save the future, they must fight in the past....

NUELOW Games celebrates the 40th anniversary of Peter Fonda's landmark sci-fi film about time-traveling without wearing pants, Idaho Transfer, with the release of our own pants-less time-travel epic for ROLF! -- Rise of the Trouser Snakes 2: Whacking Weiner.

ROLF!: Rise of the Trouser Snakes 2 is a stand-alone sequel to our cyberpunk spoof that pitted rebels in a dark future against teh corrupt forces of the plutocratic One World Government. Now, the brave members of the Trouser Snakes must travel into the past to stop the Time Killer from assassinating US politician and creepy sexter Anthony Weiner and altering the course of history. Like the great Idaho Transfer, it's got intrepid young people with no pants traveling through time to secure a better tomorrow! We're sure Fonda would approve... if he knew we existed.

Rise of the Trouser Snakes 2; Whacking Weiner presents five pregenerated characters--including Anthony Weiner ala ROLF!--several Traits and Combat Maneuvers not found in the core rulebook, and two linked battle scenaros. Click here to see previews at RPGNow and to download your own copy.

If you missed the original Rise of the Trouser Snakes, click here to check it out. You might also be interested in Anthony Weiner's first ROLF! appearance, which saw him in pitched battle with a former president of the United States in Bill Clinton and the Secret City of Women.

Features the debut of the Trouser Snakes

Features Anthony Weiner's ROLF! debut.

Help NUELOW Games donate to Oklahoma disaster relief

NUELOW Games's editor L.L. Hundal was greatly saddened by the devastation visited upon Oklahoma this week when the unstoppable forces of Nature tore through communities there. She prompted me to design a ROLF! scenario expressly intended to raise some funds to donate to the relief efforts.

The result was ROLF!: The Tornado vs. Steve Costigan. It is available for sale now, and I urge everyone who plays ROLF! to get a copy. All of NUELOW Games's proceeds from sales on this booklet through the end of September 2013 will be donated to Feed the Children's tornado relief fund. Click here to see previews and to get a copy of your own.

The Tornado vs. Steve Costigan is also one 11 items that are included in a bundle of products we've collected and discounted as part of this fund-raising effort.

If you've never checked out ROLF!, or if you've never bothered to see why I hold Robert E. Howard's humor stories in higher regard than his famous Conan and Solomon Kane tales, now is your chance to discover both at a 45% discount on the total price of the individual items. All proceeds of sales on this bundle will be donated to Feed the Children's Oklahoma tornado relief, and it will be available through at least June 1. If it proves to be a successful fund-raising tool, I'll extend its shelf-life.

When Howard Met ROLF! includes the following products:

Fists of Foolishness -- The first ten stories about sea-faring boxing champ Steve Costigan--a man with fists of steel, a heart of gold, and a head of wood. This book also includes the complete ROLF!-powered roleplaying game The Violent Worlds of Robert E. Howard. Fiction by Robert E. Howard (with one story featuring revisions by Steve Miller), game design by Steve Miller and L/L. Hundal.

Shanghaied Mitts -- Eleven more tales of the boxing exploits and misadventures of Steve Costigan. Includes a game adventure that can be played solo or used with The Violent Worlds of Robert E. Howard or ROLF!. Fiction by Howard (with one story featuring revisions by Miller), game design by Miller.

The Sheik: A Literary (?) Spoof and Battle Scenario: An Arab prince bites off more than he can chew in this spoof of cheesy bodice rippers. Features one of Howard's earliest publications. Fiction by Howard, game design by Hundal.

Bathtime at Bear Creek: Breckenridge Elkins takes a bath once a year whether he needs it or not... but this year's bathtime is interrupted by the nefarious Black Phantom Gang. Includes the very first story featuring Howard's dimwitted cowboy hero, and an additiional little story plus game scenario where he crosses paths with Frank Bolle's Black Phantom. Fiction by Howard and Miller, game design by Miller.

Hammerin' Tongs: Steve Costigan teams crosses paths with Steve Harrison, Howard's hardboiled detective with a habit of catching horrific cases. Game design by Miller.

Cap'n Jack on the Isle of Pirate's Doom: Three Cap'n Jacks join forces with Howard's Caribbean Pirate Queen Helen Taverel in a fight for survival against ninjas and the mysterious Mustache. Game design by Miller

Conan vs. Conan: A joke-slinging late-night talk show host meets a sword-swinging barbarian--will the mouth prove mightier than the sword? Game design by Miller & Hundal.

Pirates vs. Fairies: Howard's legendary pirate Black Vulmea meets the NUELOW Fairies. Game design by Miller & Hundal.

R.L. McSterlingthong and Nikola Tesla vs. the Daughter of Skull-Face: Partly inspired by Howard's "Yellow Meance" character. Fiction by Miller, game design by Miller and Lisa Harding

The Tornado vs. Steve Costigan: The sea-faring boxing champ makes landfall to save a friend's farm by winning a prize fight against Tornado Thommerson... but things don't go quite as planned. Fiction and game design by Miller.

In addition to all of that, we're also donating proceeds on sales on a bundle of our best-selling Oriental Stories anthologies to Feed the Children's tornado relief effort through June 1. Click here for details on the four books featured, and to contribute to a good cause.

Alfred's Scepters--for three different game systems

I am finishing up the latest for NUELOW Games... a little product which will be our first straight-up fantasty-themed d20 System release. (Well, sort of... the artifacts in question were inspired by the real-world 9th century King of Wessex, Alfred the Great.)

By way of a preview, here's Alfred's Scepters... with stats for OGL d20, OpenD6, and ROLF! (Everything here is released under the Open Gaming License, except the paragraph starting "ROLF! System Rules" although if someone is really interested in ROLF! OGL, I will make an SRD and work up a license. :) )

Alfred, King of Wessex

Alfred's Scepters
Two feet in length Afred's Scepters are a matched set of gilded wooded rods crowned with highly stylized, floriated gold Celtic crosses covered in a delicate web-like pattern of silver. The head-pieces can be removed from the wooden rods by simply twisting them off; this does not disrupt the magic inherent in these artifacts, as it resides in the gold crosses.
   When subjected to spells that reveal enchantments, the scepters radiate mild divination magic.

D6 System Rules
When separated, one of Alfred's Scepters grants the character holding it a +1 enchantment bonus to Strength checks to avoid damage. However, the real power of this two-part artifact are revealed when the same character is wielding both of them--one in each hand. To gain the full benefit of Alfred's Scepters, the character cannot be wielding any other weapons.
   When both scepters are used at the same time, the character still gains the +1 enchantment bonus to Strength checks, but gains limited precognative abilities that means he or she gains automatic initiative in any round that he or she is attacked. Essentially, when wielding Alfred's Scepters, the character cannot be taken by surprise. Additionally, he or she gains a +2 bonus to all Diplomacy skill checks and Sense Motive skill checks.
   When out-of-doors, characters wielding both of Alfred's Scepters may, as a full round action, commune with trees and other plant-life to discover what Intelligent beings hostile to the user or his or her subjects, allies, and loved ones, have most recently (within the past month) passed nearby. The level of success and detail of the information gained depends on a Perception roll against the follow target numbers:

Target Number    Result
1-4                      Whether someone has passed.
5-8                      Roughly how many creatures have passed
9-12                    Exactly how many have passed, what race/nationality
13-17                  Same as above, the exact day they passed, name of leader
18+                     Same as above, where they were traveling to.

D20 System Rules
When separated, one of Alfred Scepter's grants the character holding it a +2 enchantment bonus to Armor Class or Defense Rating. However, the real power of this two-part artifact are revealed when the same character is wielding both of them--one in each hand. To gain the full benefit of Alfred's Scepters, the character cannot be wielding any other weapons.
   When both scepters are used at the same time, the character still gains the +2 enchantment bonus to AC/DR, but also cannot be surprised by an attacker and never suffers any penalties from being flat-footed or flanked. Additionally, he or she gains a +4 bonus to all Diplomacy skill checks and Sense Motive skill checks.
   When out of doors, characters wielding both of Alfred's Scepters may, as a full round action, commune with trees and other plant-life to discover what Intelligent beings hostile to the user or his or her subjects, allies, and loved ones, have most recently (within the past month) passed nearby. The level of success and detail of the information gained depends on a Wisdom check against the following DCs:

Wis Check DC    Result
1-7                        Whether someone has passed.
8-10                      Roughly how many creatures have passed
11-15                    Exactly how many have passed, what race/nationality
16-20                    Same as above, the exact day they passed, name of leader
21+                       Same as above, where they were traveling to.


ROLF! System Rules
Alfred's Scepters are small items. They are melee weapons that deal 2 points of damage each, although the character can only strike with one each action. While wielding them--carrying one in each hand--all damage suffered is reduced by 2 after Armor has been subtracted (to a minimum of 0). If the character loses one, through a successful Disarm from an enemy, the reduction is lowered to 1 point

Bring a taste of terror to your OGL d20 campaigns

The latest in NUELOW Games's Modern Basics series presents revised bits and pieces that originally appeared on this very blog, and adds a pair of all-new talent trees and a dozen or so additional brand new feats--all of them being perfect Tools of Terror and Blood.

Modern Basics: Tools of Terror and Blood was designed by Steve Miller-- contributor to the classic Ravneloft gothic horror game setting--with help from NUELOW Games regular contributors L.L. Hundal and Dave Mendez. It presents OGL game mechanics to bring elements of slasher films and supernatural thrillers to your gaming table by injecting standards of those genres straight into core of the characters through feats and talent trees.

Although designed primarily with the OGL Modern system in mind. Modern Basics: Tools of Terror and Blood is easily adaptable to other d20-based systems, and it should prove a valuable asset to any GM and players who have wished their favorite game would include the means to more effectively mirror their favorite genre.

Modern Basics: Tools of Terror and Blood is available for purchase and download from RPGNow and DriveThruRPG. Click here to see previews or get your very own copy for less than a dollar.

Is it a sign the global economy is strengthening?

This spam comment showed up on the "waiting for approval" list today here at the NUELOW Games blog:

Unravel the history regarding rubber production over Kerala on rubberized plantation tours. Kinds of exotic plantations allow for an fantastic retreat in Kerala. Stop by my page :: imprezy integracyjne

While I'm sure a tour of rubberized plantations of Kerala are absolutely fascinating--even more so if one visits them as part of a trip conducted by a Polish company--I don't see what that has to do with "Sinbad and the Seven Golden Skeletons" or ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game of Big Dumb Fighters.

When even spammers can't find good help, it probably means the global economy is picking up. I say everyone should celebrate by buying some NUELOW Games products!

(In all seriousness, I think someone just doesn't know how to properly filter an image-based search result.)

All this, however, gives me a perfect excuse to dust off a couple old-time NUELOW OGL d20 feats and bring them into the 21st century with some minor revisions. The rest of this post (save the illo) is Open Gaming Content published under this license.

Craptacular [General, Dedicated Hero, Hardcore Activist] (By Steve Miller & Dave Mendez)
The character is of mediocre, or even limited, talent and skill in his or her chosen field, but excels at self-promotion and convincing others how great he or she is. Sometimes, fans and fellow professionals can't see through the ruse, but mostly the end result reveals the person's true colors.
   Prerequisite: 3 ranks in Bluff
   Benefit: The character receives a +4 bonus to all Bluff nd Diplomacy checks.
   Special: The character suffers a -1 penalty to all class skill checks, and a -2 penalty to all cross-class skill checks. These penalties do not apply to Bluff and Diplomacy checks.

Spammer [General] (By Steve Miller)
This feat allows you to vomit forth off-topic drivel to the first 100,000 blogs and forums you can think of, or a search engine can find. 

   Prerequisite: You must be a moron; Maximum INT 6, Maximum WIS 8.
   Benefit: The character receives +4 to Computer Use skill checks. He or she is also able to win over huge amounts of business from any blog or forum who willingly accepts the posts with open arms--especially if the character can't spell and has the grammatical powers of a chipmunk.