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Carnival
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 08/16/2013 11:01:10

A real four-colour gem here... some neat scans of what looks like original comic-book pages presented with the clarity of that slight graininess I remember from the first one I found on a visit to New York in 1973!

As for the stories - high jinks (some on the flying trapeze too) in a circus setting, quite repleate with ideas for adventures in the three short stories presented. And if you are inspired to run such a game, there's a D20 Modern occupation of 'Carnie' along with a few suitable feats and talent trees for characters who want to work in a circus.

Enjoy the comics or bring all the thrills of the circus to your games... or both... with this excellent presentation.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Carnival
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Icing Oetzi: A ROLF! Historical Recreation
by Rob M. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 08/08/2013 07:44:47

Icing Oetiz contains two pages dedicated to a prehistoric scenario and two pages of rules clarification and options.

This supplement clarifies some of the more vague rules of ROLF and also provides some insight into how the game should be played. I think that after reading Icing Oetzi, I finally have a good grasp on how to play ROLF as it is intended. Essentially, ROLF is a dice-rolling game inspired by RPGs. Although ROLF is sold on a RPG store and looks very much like an RPG, its heritage is closer to dice games like Button Men.

There is a scenario included in which players recreate three possible deaths of Oetzi, an actual human being whose mummified remains suggests some serious violence in prehistoric Italy. I really like the idea of playing out three possible deaths of the character, like a big, dumb version of the Clue movie.

If NEULOW Games were to release a revised or deluxe edition of ROLF, the rules and scenario in this supplement should definitely be included as they provide the best guidance on how to have fun with ROLF.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Icing Oetzi: A ROLF! Historical Recreation
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ROLF: Steve Costigan and the Thief of Youth
by Rob M. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 08/06/2013 07:33:46

This is a short adventure for two-players (one of which is the gamemaster) based on the adventures of Sailor Steve Costigan, one of Robert E. Howard's lesser known creations. Costigan is an unruly and uncultured sailor who solves all problems with his fists and the help of his little white bulldog Mike. Drawing closely on the source material, this adventure is filled with the pulpiest tropes possible and a sprinkling of old-school orientalist racism.

Having just reviewed the ROLF rule book and being left with uncertainties on the system, I'm glad that this adventure provides some insight on how to run a ROLF adventure. Although it is not clear in the rule book, this adventure makes it clear that ROLF should be played with a gamemaster who takes the role of the antagonists and describes the world to the player who controls the hero.

Unfortunately, this adventure includes Traits and Combat Maneuvers not found in the ROLF core rule book with little indication as to where to find the new rules. The adventure is supposed to be compatible with a game called The Violent Worlds of Robert E. Howard, which may be bundled with other ROLF products but does not have a listing of its own. I understand that ROLF is a very loose system that is spread out across dozens of cheap supplements, but it would be nice to have some idea what products are required to run an adventure.

Likewise, on at least two occasions the notes state that the protagonist is not supposed to attack during a fight. I'm not sure how that is supposed to work, especially since he is expected to win at least one of the fights. Perhaps I am missing some obscure rule or this is a poor way of saying he should be on the defensive, but I don't see how the encounter is supposed to go down with the punch-happy boxer keeping his hands in his pockets.

Assuming that the players have the all the rules required to run this adventure, it should prove to be pretty fun. The plot is very well informed by the pulp fiction conventions and has its tongue locked firmly in its cheek. There is plenty of old-fashioned racist phrases and Yellow Peril is a major theme of this adventure. If you have a hard time telling sincerity from satire, you may want to pass on this one.

Oh, and a tip on getting the most out of this adventure: Don't talk to the cops.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
ROLF: Steve Costigan and the Thief of Youth
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Creator Reply:
Thank you for the feedback. I can see we need to do a better job at labeling these things--or maybe just de-list this particular product. You picked the ONE ROLF! supplement that is the odd-one out among them. It was intended initially JUST for inclusion in the REH anthology "Shanghaied Mitts," but we decided to make it available by itself, in case someone had picked up "Fists of Foolishness" (which included "The Violent Worlds of Robert E. Howard") but didn't want to spring for the second anthology. It's the ONE time where the Combat Maneuvers and Traits not in the core rules but used in the supplement are not included. (Drop me an email... if you're interested, I can set you up with a couple of other ROLF! supplements that are more "typical.")
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ROLF: The Rollplaying Game of Big Dumb Fighters
by Rob M. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 08/05/2013 10:43:48

Yep, it's a "rollplaying game." I've heard an awful lot about rollplaying and how terrible of a thing it is, so I was surprised to come across a game that is all about the ill-aligned practice.

ROLF is a beer and pretzel's game about sexy muscle bound idiots who either want to kill each other or fuck each other. It's a game best played with a lot of beer and pretzels. This is the kind of game you bring to the table when you've lost the cognitive faculties for a more nuanced game. A dumb, frisky warrior is very easy to roleplay when you've had a few too many.

The game is based on a simple roll-low system based three attributes and there are no rules related to anything outside of combat. At only 10 pages, you don't get much more rules-light than this. There are some rules for Traits, for players who want more fleshed out characters, but the book makes it perfectly clear that your priority should be killing things, not telling an interesting story.

The one problem that ROLF may have is its initiative system. Each character makes two moves each round, but in a forward and back order. For instance, if there are three characters in a fight the order of moves would be ABCCBA. This seems like it would add some interesting strategy, but I can also see it getting a bit messy since Character C's first turn may be a reaction to Character A's move, but first they have to wait through Character B's turn to resolve if Character A's move is successful. This can get very dicey if more than three characters are in a combat, which puts a hard limit on how many people can play ROLF and what a gamemaster can throw at the players.

As I wrote that last sentence, I realized that there is no discussion of a gamemaster anywhere in this book. I assumed that there would be a gamemaster, but it's possible that ROLF is intended to be a GMless free-for-all game. There is mention of using ROLF for a campaign, but that seems impossible if this is the case.

ROLF is an incomplete game. The foundation is strong, simple and goofy fun, but you can't help but think that there is a lot missing from this game. It's important for a beer and pretzel's game to be as complete as possible since drunk players are not going to want to figure out a way for fair rulings on the fly. However, ROLF is very well supported by the publisher, so some of the holes in the system may be addressed in other releases.

With a list price of only $1.50, ROLF may be worth a look for your gaming arsenal. The concept of stupid, sexy fighters is certainly something that would appeal to gamers who need something simple and lighthearted. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if it can match the quality of similar games like Old School Hack and Kobolds Ate My Baby.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
ROLF: The Rollplaying Game of Big Dumb Fighters
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Creator Reply:
Thanks for a very perceptive review. ROLF! was created as a spoof RPGs, which is the reason for the holes you mention; it's shot through with game design meta-humor. Said holes have indeed been plugged in the supplements that are currently available--with the most important "plugs" appearing in "Icing Oetzi." The strictly two-player variant "You Vs. Me" was not shot through with quite as much meta-humor as "Big Dumb Fighters," so it is complete ROLF! was also originally conceived as a GMless free-for-all and we had actually never seriously considered it usable for campaign play. However, we have learned that GMs have been used in running it and that there have been at least one campaign. So, in supplements, we have attempted to take that into account, (Again, "You vs. Me" is very clearly presented as GMless.)
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Science Sleuths #1
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 07/29/2013 10:22:40

If you are a comic-book (or graphic novel) fan this is a cracking good yarn in traditional style to enjoy...

Even more so if you are also a gamer in the pulp style as while the story itself presents plenty of character and plot ideas, there is a Scientist talent tree for those who'd like to incorporate these concepts into a pulp-style game using the D20 Modern ruleset.

Presentation is not wonderful - the panels are well-drawn, but look like they have been photocopied before even reaching a scanner, and then te resulting images dumped more-or-less accurately (several are a bit squint) into a document to make the PDF - everything is a bit grey and indistinct and I've had to display it at 130% to have a chance of reading the text. It's not hard to produce quality camera-ready art and when your product IS the art, the comic-strip itself it is worth making the effort.

Both the story and the actual art is good... it's what has been done with it that disappoints a bit.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Science Sleuths #1
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Creator Reply:
Thank you for your feedback, Megan; it's the only way we know what's needed to make our books better. The art problems you point to have actually caused us to put a hold on a couple other ongoing comics projects--we saw it, but we thought we had licked it as best we could with the stories in "Science Sleuths.". The "photocopied" look you mention is a result of us trying to get a uniform appearance to pages scanned from different magazines with varying levels of age damage. We hope, though, that like you others will be able to look past our imperfect presentation to see the greatness in these fun, classic comics. Meanwhile, we'll work harder at improving our processes.
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ROLF!: Revenge of the Nigerian Prince
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 07/20/2013 10:05:06

What if one of those spam e-mail messages purporting to come from some corrupt bank official trying to sneak a vast fortune out of some exotic locale and offering to split it with you was actually genuine?

Here's a tale of a Nigerian who is a prince, is wealthy... and has decided to devote his time and resources to dealing with those scammers that have given his fellow countrymen such a bad name online. As I hit the delete key yet again, it's a tempting thought...

Accompanied by two trusty bodyguards the Nigerian Prince visits three scammers in their own homes. The results are up to you but they are likely to be messy!

A fun romp...



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
ROLF!: Revenge of the Nigerian Prince
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ROLF: The Mummy's Tune
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 03/13/2013 12:02:02

This is rather a fun little scenario that plays better than it tells: suffice to say it involves an outrageous pop-star who loves to shock her audiences, a song from Ancient Egypt that supposedly carries a pretty heavy curse, a bunch of zombies and a few other oddments... even a mummy might show up. Maybe the legends of the curse were right!

So will Lady Goo-Goo, never mind the audience, survive her Pyramid-backed performance of the ancient Song of Ho-Baq? Will a handful of cultists and their tame mummies stop her before the entire audience is turned to zombies?

Run one of the four scenes herein, and you'll find out... if the mummies, zombies or Egyptian curses don't get you first.

A merry romp across the music business...



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
ROLF: The Mummy's Tune
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Expansion for Level-based Character Progression
by Thomas B. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/02/2013 21:41:49

This is basically a DM Mercy Point system; "Are you behaving the way I want you to?" I can see this resulting in a group breaking up, pretty fast.



Rating:
[1 of 5 Stars!]
Expansion for Level-based Character Progression
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Creator Reply:
Possibly. But these very rules have been in use in my d20 System campaigns for roughly a decade now without the group breaking up.
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ROLF: Turkey Shoot
by Megan R. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 11/23/2012 08:24:16

A merry jape to occupy an evening - perhaps even when too full of Thanksgiving turkey to want to do much - this adventure involves a revenge plot by a frustrated film fan targeted against a director who has produced one too many turkeys of a film, pitting fan, director and the magnificent Sally Sleuff, his bodyguard, against one another in a three-way brawl.

Simple? Yes, but presented with a certain atmospheric charm that takes a mere combat scene - which in effect is all that it is - and makes of it something perhaps thrilling, perhaps dramatic, perhaps even cinematic... or maybe it will turn into a comedy. The chemistry between the players is given free reign to make of it what they will.

For that matter, you could take this simple plot and insert it into the superhero (or maybe pulp) game of your choice, dress it up a bit and make a full adventure of it, should that take your fancy... (it does mine!)

As an added bonus, there are some extra traits and combat manoeuvres that you can make use of in any game played with the ROLF ruleset - and more than this, there is a fine collection of original Adolphe Barreaux comic strips from the 1930s depicting Sally the Sleuth! Mine them for further adventures, or just sit back and enjoy them as turkey torpor takes hold and even rolling dice is too much effort.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
ROLF: Turkey Shoot
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ROLF: Bill Clinton and the Secret City of Women
by Timothy K. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 10/25/2012 20:55:23

This made me laugh out loud in a place I was embarrassed to do so. Such a clever scenario and a great introduction to the game. I love Steve's work, and this is a great product. I think it would be easily adaptable to any game system. Support Rolf! and Steve's cats.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
ROLF: Bill Clinton and the Secret City of Women
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Creator Reply:
Thanks for the kind words! This goes to show "always trust your editor, especially when she's the co-creator of the game system." I originally had a completely different third Battle Scenario for "Bill Clinton and the Secret City of Women." It apparently play-tested okay, but L.L Hundal didn't really like it, so she came up with the ending that's in the product, as well as giving us the return appearance of The Most Interesting Man In The World. I will be putting that cut scenario (along with the Pre-generated Character that got dumped up on the NUELOW Games blog in early November. Thanks for commenting, for playing, and for helping feed my cats! :) --Steve Miller, NUELOW Games
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Modern Basics: Feats of Seduction and Subterfuge
by Shane O. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 10/20/2012 18:11:49

It’s a truism that d20-based games are built around combat. It is possible to work against this slant and create characters that are focused on peaceful interaction, largely by focusing on skills and feats that lean away from combat potential, but there are comparatively few of those. NUELOW Games’s new book, Modern Basics: Feats of Seduction and Subterfuge, expands that roster ever so slightly.

The book’s presentation is notably minimalist, at least in terms of technical bells and whistles. Copy-and-paste is enabled, but there aren’t any hyperlinks or bookmarks…though for a PDF that’s only five pages long, this isn’t really an issue. The book takes an understated tone with illustrations as well. A few shots of the couple from the cover are all that’s to be found on the interior; this lends the book a nice sense of style in a “just what you see” way.

In terms of evaluating the book, I think it’s important to remember that this is geared primarily towards d20 Modern. The designer does not that these can be used with pretty much any d20 game, and he’s not wrong in that assertion; what’s here will work with pretty much any incarnation of d20, though I’ll say right now that some systems will necessitate some minor adapting. What’s more important to take away from the book’s focus on d20 Modern is the relative scale of what it offers (in terms of power) and the nature of its effects, something I’ll touch on more below.

Feats of Seduction and Subterfuge offers one new skill and eight new feats. Insightfully, the author gives a brief introduction wherein he mentions that the new skill (Seduction) should be a class skill for bards, Charismatic Heroes, and other Charisma-focused classes, and that the feats should be on the bonus feat lists for such classes. I have to give the author props here; mentioning who gets them as class skills is an oversight that most people make when introducing new skills into the game. The issue of bonus feats is somewhat less germane, but still appreciated.

Unfortunately, the Seduction skill itself was nothing to write home about. For me, the major downside was that it didn’t adequately describe what it does, and how it makes itself different from broader skills that have the same theme (such as Bluff). The skill says that it’s used to “sway NPCs into performing actions of your choosing,” but it doesn’t give examples of the degree to which you sway them the way Diplomacy does. Worse, the skill has no mention of the time required to make a seduction attempt, and oddly splits itself between the two sexes (e.g. Seduction (females) is different from Seduction (males)), something I found unnecessary. I also didn’t like the static DC, since I think that skill checks to influence creatures should be opposed checks.

The new feats were more passable in what they offered. If you have the Wardrobe Malfunction feats, for example, you’ve mastered the art of the nip slip (or other sexy reveal) – you can briefly expose yourself, feigning embarrassment at your “accidental” reveal; doing so lets you make a skill check to not only amuse those who see it and are fooled, but it also creates a distraction for your allies. It’s unfortunate that feats like this were the vast minority of the book.

To expound upon that, of the eight feats in the book, six of them were skill boosters, offering a +2 bonus to two (sometimes three) related skills; some also have an additional effect, such as how the No Sense feat grants not only a +2 bonus to Bluff and Intimidate, but also a +4 bonus to saves against feat. This brings us back to what I was saying before about the power scale of these feats being relative depending on the kind of game you’re running. For a d20 Modern game, these are comparable to a lot of the feats available in the Core Rulebook, as these stand alongside a host of other “+2 to two skills” feats, and even a bit above them. For a Pathfinder game, however, these will often be seen as somewhat underpowered compared to the other feats available.

Ultimately, I couldn’t bring myself to judge this book too harshly, since as a d20 Modern-based book it stands fairly well on its own; only the Seduction skill needs any major work, but it’s easily overlooked (though for feats that use it, I’d throw it out in favor of Bluff instead). The feats themselves range from about par to being quite innovative; I only wish there were less of the former and more of the latter. Still, Feats of Seduction and Subterfuge isn’t a bad book if you want to increase your Modern Basics.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Modern Basics: Feats of Seduction and Subterfuge
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Expansion for Level-based Character Progression
by andrew f. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 03/15/2012 22:41:41

Systems that incentivize good roleplaying (and good behavior) for rowdy RPGers are always welcome. And it is true that the slow pace of level achievement in 4th edition gets aggravating, as both a GM and a player. I'm looking forward to trying this system in my campaigns.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Expansion for Level-based Character Progression
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Dyvil: First Edition (Jeff Grubb's 30-Minute Roleplaying Game)
by William W. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 02/16/2012 11:24:12

A naughty little RPG for playing the minions of evil. The war for heaven is over, the good guys won, and you are one of the few remaining infernals roaming the earth, trying to tempt humans into committing sins, finding recruits, and generally trying to survive.

The d6-based system is quick and simple, and there is very little setting or background, leaving it open for all sorts of storytelling. A true beer-and-pretzels RPG, the sort of thing you'd expect to come from 30 minutes of hard RPG-creating labor.

But is it really an RPG, or a thinly-disguised commentary on modern RPGs, organized religion, current foreign policy? You'll have to decide that for yourself.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
Dyvil: First Edition (Jeff Grubb's 30-Minute Roleplaying Game)
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ROLF: The Rollplaying Game of Big Dumb Fighters
by Stephen Y. [Verified Purchaser] Date Added: 01/04/2012 13:37:16

ROLF seems fairly good for the price (£0.95).

While most RPGs I've played make no bias on gender with attributes, this game does (surprisingly). The 3 attributes are Brawn, Body & Brains. Brawn & Body are the same for male & female, but Brains are 2D4 for males, and 2D6 for females! The character generation on page 2 states that females are more intelligent (gender cliche?); if so, then another gender cliche states that females are the 'weaker sex', and therefore (for balance), as all games should have SOME balance, the Brawn attribute for females should be for example, 1D20 + 1D8, instead of 2D20.

Practically most/all the artwork is from various D&D books (Elmore). The game is not to be taken seriously; it it rather tongue in cheek. It's good for short term, but not for long term (campaigns).



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
ROLF: The Rollplaying Game of Big Dumb Fighters
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Horror for the Holidays
by William W. [Featured Reviewer] Date Added: 12/26/2011 08:22:36

(From my blog The Contemporary Quixotist) Then, at the very bottom of your stocking, down among the nasty little bits of candy cane and lint from Christmases past have accumulated, you find this terrible little creature - Horror for the Holidays, a compact collection of festive horror stories, compiled by Nuelow Games. It features Locke, Lovecraft, Machen, and Poe, along with stories from HM Croker, Bret Harte, Hume Nesbit, and Edgar Wallace. It's great for curling up with by the fire while enjoying a cup of eggnog and listening to something horrible and blasphemous scratching at your windowpane.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
Horror for the Holidays
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