Yes,  BTC is needed to generate newbiecoin currently.

Here is a good news for everybody who like newbiecoin!     We are designing a promotion game for trialing the decentralized bet of WorldCup2014 with Newbiecoin.

Details coming soon. Please notice the newest information here. As a suggestion, you'd better install the Newbiecoin wallet and make sure it would be running ok for you to enjoy the coming game .