Green Ronin has announced a new and different role-playing game, Blue Rose, which takes its inspiration from the works of novelists such as Mercedes Lackey, Diane Duane, and Tamora Pierce.  The focus of the game is on heroic and good-hearted characters working together to defend an enlightened kingdom from harm.  Most of the heroes have psychic powers and some of them have highly intelligent animal sidekicks. 

The perfect-bound, 192-page Blue Rose RPG (MSRP: $27.95) has everything players need to play the game including complete rules for character creation, social interactions, reputations and psychic powers.  The game uses Wizards of the Coast's Open Game License for its basic mechanics, but also employs the innovative damage mechanic from Green Ronin's Mutants & Masterminds RPG.

Later this year Green Ronin is planning to publish the Blue Rose Companion, which will provide live action role-playing rules, magic items, a bestiary, and additional information about the kingdom of Aldis.  Blue Rose is an example of one of the trends evident in the 'Games' category in 2004 -- the attempt to broaden the audience for games to include more female participants, which is also evident in several CCGs which target females, including the Bratz CCG from Upper Deck and the Star Sisterz and Neopets CCGs from Wizards of the Coast.