Designers Notes
M
acho Women with Guns was not an easy game to write, at all. Firstly there is the subject matter, a bunch of psychotic women blowing things up. Acceptable in the 1970s and even into the 1980s, but with the changes in the way women are portrayed and perceived throughout the 1990s and into the 21st Century I was concerned how it would be received in today’s market. There was every likelihood I would be lynched!The release of the Slayer’s Guide to Female Gamers convinced me, however, that enough people had enough of a sense of humour that this might not be such a problem. Just be up front that the game is shameless exploitation and pinup art and all should be well. My fears allayed I put my bullet-proof vest back in the wardrobe and sent my bodyguard home.
Still, it was not an easy project. The original incarnation of Macho Women with Guns was a board game more than anything else where various players would run around a photocopied hexagonal map shooting comedic and satirical creatures as well as each other. There were vague pretensions to a roleplaying game in the form of a light-hearted horror scenario and some flimsy background material but that was it. Here, however, I was being asked to turn those same scant few paragraphs of setting material and the idea of hot chicks killing stuff into a fully-fledged, hardback game for the d20 System!
I started by looking at the original material and the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game and trying to bring the two together. System-wise things were not so tough, the original Macho Women with Guns used many of the basics featured in the d20 System, statistics and skills and so on, all that was really missing was a system of feats and drawbacks. Setting-wise though…
The closest thing Macho Women with Guns had to a setting was a smattering of material in Renegade Nuns on Wheels which described a post-apocalyptic America, lying in ruin in the wake of the Reagan presidency.
There were striking and immediate similarities with the political situations that still dog world politics now, couple that with a post-apocalyptic world where genres clash and anything goes. The die was cast, the setting decided and I went to work.
As I was writing this, war broke out in Iraq and I was forced to re-examine a lot of what I was writing.
The original Macho Women with Guns did not care too much about upsetting anyone, but this incarnation was going to be a higher profile book and I recognise that some people are more sensitive about such things. Was the world of Macho Women with Guns too much for some people? Would the portrayal of the fictional U.S. premier affect American sensibilities and subsequent distribution? The war is over and things have calmed down a little, so I hope fervently that people have regained their sense of humour over such things. Time and hate mail will tell.
Other problems reared their ugly head, everything from financial to family and the world’s most bizarre computer crash all conspired against me. This has probably been the hardest book I have ever had to write, but at the end of it all, I think it has been worth it.
This is a game I want to play. A few drinks and a table full of snacks, just kicking back and not having to worry about character depth or anything more than kicking ass and having a few good laughs with some crude puns and even cruder humour.
I hope you want to play it as well.
James ‘Grim’ Desborough Spring 2003
Index
Index A
Addiction 43 Adventurer 14 After The Dang 124 Aliens 171
Allergies 44 Alvin Logan 181 Always Late 44 Ammunition 51 Angel 176
Angels Charlies and The Fuzzy Menace 176 Animatronic Robots 171
Archaic and Fantasy Armaments 52 Archaic Heavy Armour 55
Archaic Light Armour 54 Archaic Medium Armour 55 Archaic Melee Weapons 52 Archaic Ranged Weapons 53 Archaic Shields 55
Arm 92 Armour 52 Assassin 97
Ayatollah Klomanie 164
A Teen Witch’s Bumper Book of Spells 85
B
B.F.G. Proficiency 33 Backstabbing Bitch 32 Bad Luck 44
Bad to the Bone 44 Balance 28
Balancing Priorities 45 Bambo 164
Destroyer in a Furry Bikini 105 Bart Bisney 172
Basic Class Descriptions 10 Bat-winged Bimbos 16 Battlewarmechbots 173 Bat out of Hell 32 Bat Wings 32 Beautician 16
Being Funny 129 Big Green Monster 45 Bimbo 45
Bisneyland Paris 151 Bitch 45
Blow Your Way to the Top 33 Bluff 29
Bonus Feats 10 Bookworm 17 Brew Potion 78 Bthulu 155
Buck-Toothed Hick 45 Buildings 56,66,75 Bunny Boiler 46 Business Bitch 98 Busty Vampire Layer 100
C
Called Shots 92 Canada 137
Catfights and Tussling 93 Catfight Actions 94 Cat Burglar 101 Celebrity 17 Chafing 46
Character Creation Checklist 9 Chauvinist Swine 165
Chicago 143 Classes 10
Close Combat Weapons 63 Clothing 56,67,75
Combat Complications 95 Combat Genuflection 33 Combat Overview 91 Commies From Mars 173 Congressional Subcommittee 166 Conservative Dresser 46
Cost 51
Countess Dracula 156 Crack of Doom 34 Craft (cosmetics) 29 Creating A Character 9 Creating Magical Items 82 Criminal 18
Criminal Mastermind 103 Crow with a Machine Gun 166 Cupid 156
Index
D
Damn Hippie 46 Debt 46
Delvings & Dingos Player’s Guide 86 Demonic Giggle 34
Demon Taint 34 Dimensional Bust 34 Dip Ones 157 Direct Line to God 35 Disclaimer 6
Distort Reality 35 Dodge Responsibility 35 Dominatrix 18
E
Endless Ammo 35 Enemy 47 Equipment 71
Equipment and Money 14
Equipment for Macho Women with Guns 51 Extra Life 36
Eyes 93
F
Fairness 47
Fantasy and Archaic Armour 54 Fantasy Enemies 155
Fantasy Lifestyles Accessories 55 Fantasy Transportation 57 Feats 24
Feat Based Magic 78 Flame-Retardant Soul 36 Flame Touch 36
Food, Drink, & lodging 55 Food, drink & lodging 75 Food, drink and lodging 65 Forbidden Tomes 85 Futuristic Armour 74
Futuristic Lifestyle Accessories 75 Futuristic Melee Weapons 73 Futuristic Pistols 73
Futuristic Rifles 73
Futuristic Vehicles 75 Futuristic Weapons 73
G
General Feats 24 Genres 51 Giant Buffalo 157 Gimp 19
Gnarlyhotep: The surfer with a thousand toes 158 Gold-Digger 47
Grappling in Goo 94 Groin 93
H
Hard Boiled Detective 19 Hard Drinking 36 Head 93
Heal 1 79 Heal 2 79 Heal 3 80
Heavy Armour 65,74 Heavy Weapons 62 Heinous Drawbacks 27 Hell’s Angels 166 Hellkittens 158 Helloooo Nurse 20 Helltanks 174 High Priestess 106 Holiness 36 Holy Roller 107 Hotline to Satan 37 Hot Coed 109 Hulla-Bulloo 149 Hunter Impregnator 174
I
Important questions 26 Improvise 37
Infernal Mistress 110 Internal Kindergarten 86 Irritating Laugh 47 Isaac Azathoth 159
Index
J
J. Edgar Hoover 167 Jump 30
Jungle Queen 112 Justification 7
K
Kick Ass and Chew Gum 37 Killer Beavers 181
Kinky 47
Kung Fu Hotty 113
L
Languages 14 Lawyers 167 Leet Haxxor 114 Leg 93
Legs Up To Your Armpits 37 Lesbian Ninja Mudwrestlers 177 Librarian Beauty 116
Lifestyle Accessories 52 Light Armour 65,74 Listing 24
Look Good in Armour 37 Look Good in Uniform 38 Los Diablos 142
Lucky Cow 38 Luxuries 68
M
Macho 38
Mad Bombers 167
Magazine-Based Sexuality 48 Magical 38
Magical Feats 26,78
Magical Feat Descriptions 78 Mana 78
Mana Battery 38 Mana Die 10 Me, Me, Me 38 Media Darling 39
Media Icon 117 Medium Armour 65,74 Mega B.F.G. Proficiency 33 Mental Midgets 159 Mexico 149
Microwave Cooking Made Easy 86 Minx 20
Miscellaneous Equipment 52 Miscellaneous Fantasy Equipment 58 Miscellaneous Futuristic Equipment 76 Miscellaneous Modern Equipment 70 Mistress 39
Modern Armaments 60 Modern Armour 63 Modern Enemies 164
Modern Lifestyle Accessories 65 Modern Vehicles 68
Moonbase Alpha Male 154 Moon Pig 48
Motor City Detroit 142 Motor Mouth 48 Mount Rushmore 145 Mow ‘Em Down 39
Mow ‘Em Down, Greater 39 Mud and Oil Wrestling 94 Multiclass Characters 27 Mutant Ability 39
N
N’Orleans 144 Naughty Schoolgirl 21 New and Modified Feats 32 New England 147
New To Macho Women with Guns 8 New to the d20 System 8
New York Mission 143 Nightmares 48 Noblins 160 Nookie 30 Norks 160
O
Object 76 Occupations 14 Oddzilla 161
Index
Other Actions 91 Outlaw 48
P
Pet 39 Phobia 49 Pinup Geek 22 Pistols 60
Plastic Surgeon on Retainer 40 Pneucoketic Manuscripts 87 Police Chick 22
Pope Joan I 134 Porno Publishers 168 Pray Like Hell 40 Press on Claws 40 Promiscuous 40 Protect 1 80 Protect 2 80 Protect 3 81
Psychotic Psantas 168 Puerile Nonsense 130 Pulses & Prana 87 Puppies of Tindalos 162 Pure of Heart 41
Q
Quebec 139
R
Randy Greys 174 Rat Vultures 162 Relic Raider 118 Renegade Nun 23 Richard Tulcholka 169 Rifles 61
Ritual Enchant 1 81 Ritual Enchant 2 81 Ritual Enchant 3 82 Ritual Summon 1 82 Ritual Summon 2 83 Ritual Summon 3 83
Running Macho Women with Guns 123 Run in High Heels 41
S
Sadist 49 Sainthood 41
Salivating Sexists 169 Satire 130
Science Fiction Enemies 171 Scribe scroll 84
Scriptwriter Stooge 42 Secret Love 49 Selective Hearing 49 Sergeant Rockette 119 Shit Happens 88 Shoddygoths 162 Shotguns 62
Simple Melee Weapons 52 Simple Ranged Weapons 52 Skills 24
Skill Descriptions 28 Sniper Rifles 62 South America 151 Space 153
Spectacled 50 Spellcraft 31
Spending Heinous Drawback Points 27 Sperminator 175
Status Conscious 50 Sticky-Fingered 48 Stunts 91
Submachine Guns 61 Swearing 42
Swim 31
Sword Mistress 121
T
Teflon Skin 42 Texas 145
The Al-Azifthen 88 The Antichrist(s) 163 The Book of Fibbin 88
The Book of Going Forth for Brunch 88 The Charismatic Heroine 14
The Dedicated Heroine 13 The Deserts 148
The Eighth Reich 152 The Fast Heroine 11
Index
The Glorious People’s Republic of Alaska 140 The Great Forest 139
The Icy Wastes 137
The Insane Ramblings of Pope Joan The First 89 The Internet 152
The Macho Women with Guns Rulebook 7 The Necrocosmeticon 89
The Nerdis Mysterius 90 The Plains 148
The Seven and Eleven Empire 149 The Space Hotel 154
The Space Stations 153 The Squirrel Man 178 The Strong Heroine 11 The Tough Heroine 12
The Unasprecthenictatocalantricusrchitclehknotgrat wund 90
The United States 140 The World at Large 137
Three Adjectives and an Animal 170 Timeline 131
Top-Heavy 50 Tumble 31
TV Evangelists 170
U
Used To Be A Man 50
V
Vacuum 95 Vehicle 57 Vehicles 52,68,76 Vengeful 50 Veteran Players 8 Vital Statistics 26 Vow of Violence 50
W
Weapons 51 Windfall 42 Winged Wimple 42 Witch 24
Y
Yoko Uggoth 164
Z
Zap 1 84 Zap 2 84 Zap 3 84 Zero Gravity 96 Zsazsathoth 164
DEFENCE ARMOUR SHIELD DEX WIS SIZE NATURAL MISC
ARMOUR WORN
= 10 +