RPGnet : The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Let me start off by saying that if scantily-clad and mostly naked women raining down death and destruction upon their enemies is what you are looking for, then the artwork in this book is for you. Although the art is all black and white, the big name artists that provide the illustrations for this book do a great job. Okay, enough about the fantastically appropriate art and on to the meat of the review.

The writing in MWWG is above average, with the humor remaining fairly consistent throughout the book. The author writes the game as it should be, as a parody and an actual game, treading a fine line between the joke and the game.

While it sounds like this game is mostly a joke, there is actually a role-playing game buried in here. With a few adjustments and good editing, this system could be fairly usable in an RPG. That's not too say that it doesn't fit in with the game, though, the system will support almost anything the characters can think up and then some. With a list of semi-humorous skills such as "Hit Things With Other Things" and "Run In High Heels", this game makes sure you never take it too seriously, but at the same time allowing you to actually play a decent game.

The game mechanics of MWWG are explained in bits and pieces which makes it difficult to get a good overall feel for the game. However, since this game isn't really meant to be taken entirely seriously, this is a forgivable error. The one glaring error in the system as I read it through the first time is that you really have to dig for the dice mechanics, which to my knowledge are only mentioned once in the text (3d6 if you're wondering). You can guess at the mechanics from the examples given, but you're never sure until you read the actual paragraph stating the mechanics of the rolls.

Included with the book are the three archetypes for the game, Macho Women With Guns, Renegade Nuns on Wheels, and Bat-Winged Bimbos From Hell. With the character creation rules, you can use one of the three archetypes to create almost any type of character you like. The book also has a skill list, advantages/disadvantages, equipment lists, vehicle creation rules, and a bestiary, rounding out this single book into a complete game.

The combat section gives good examples of the different combat options including enough rules to almost turn the game into a tabletop miniatures game. There are also mass combat rules for those really big fights.

Another section of note is the Machoverse (TM). This section has a brief rundown of various genre's that the game can be played in and their locales. Not necessary to the game, this section is an amusing read and is also useful to the GM's who wish to use it.

At the back of the book is a mediocre adventure for the beginning Macho Women called "Fun Guys From Yuggoth". This adventure is a good introductory one and is exemplary of the adventures included with games nowadays.

Ultimately, if you're not having fun when playing Macho Women With Guns, you're not doing it right.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Macho Women With Guns
Author: Greg Porter Category: game Company/Publisher: BTRC Cost: $9.95 Page count: 68 ISBN: 0-943891-27-2 Capsule Review by Paul Franklin on 11/09/98. Genre tags: Fantasy Science_fiction Modern_day Horror Far_Future Space Comedy Anime Post-apocalypse Vampire	Let me start off by saying that if scantily-clad and mostly naked women raining down death and destruction upon their enemies is what you are looking for, then the artwork in this book is for you. Although the art is all black and white, the big name artists that provide the illustrations for this book do a great job. Okay, enough about the fantastically appropriate art and on to the meat of the review. The writing in MWWG is above average, with the humor remaining fairly consistent throughout the book. The author writes the game as it should be, as a parody and an actual game, treading a fine line between the joke and the game. While it sounds like this game is mostly a joke, there is actually a role-playing game buried in here. With a few adjustments and good editing, this system could be fairly usable in an RPG. That's not too say that it doesn't fit in with the game, though, the system will support almost anything the characters can think up and then some. With a list of semi-humorous skills such as "Hit Things With Other Things" and "Run In High Heels", this game makes sure you never take it too seriously, but at the same time allowing you to actually play a decent game. The game mechanics of MWWG are explained in bits and pieces which makes it difficult to get a good overall feel for the game. However, since this game isn't really meant to be taken entirely seriously, this is a forgivable error. The one glaring error in the system as I read it through the first time is that you really have to dig for the dice mechanics, which to my knowledge are only mentioned once in the text (3d6 if you're wondering). You can guess at the mechanics from the examples given, but you're never sure until you read the actual paragraph stating the mechanics of the rolls. Included with the book are the three archetypes for the game, Macho Women With Guns, Renegade Nuns on Wheels, and Bat-Winged Bimbos From Hell. With the character creation rules, you can use one of the three archetypes to create almost any type of character you like. The book also has a skill list, advantages/disadvantages, equipment lists, vehicle creation rules, and a bestiary, rounding out this single book into a complete game. The combat section gives good examples of the different combat options including enough rules to almost turn the game into a tabletop miniatures game. There are also mass combat rules for those really big fights. Another section of note is the Machoverse (TM). This section has a brief rundown of various genre's that the game can be played in and their locales. Not necessary to the game, this section is an amusing read and is also useful to the GM's who wish to use it. At the back of the book is a mediocre adventure for the beginning Macho Women called "Fun Guys From Yuggoth". This adventure is a good introductory one and is exemplary of the adventures included with games nowadays. Ultimately, if you're not having fun when playing Macho Women With Guns, you're not doing it right. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)