April 1, 2025: Begin April With The Tardigrade d6 Dice Set

We at Steve Jackson Games are always looking to bring more fun into the world, with innovative products that expand our audience in new and creative ways. To that end we proudly present . . . the Tardigrade d6 Dice Set!

Unlike the popular Shark d6 Dice Set, Kitten d6 Dice Set, and other animal-themed dice that have delighted human gamers, the Tardigrade d6 Dice Set is specifically designed for the tardigrade gamers in your life!

This set of 300 dice includes four each in 75 different colors, such as puce, fulvous, and black. Measuring at the standard 5-micrometer scale, these dice are perfectly balanced to roll regardless of which of your body's limbs you use. Each die has had its "6" replaced with the familiar Eye-in-the-Pyramid logo, while the included hangcard helpfully explains what an "eye" is.

Believe us: The Tardigrade d6 Dice Set is like nothing you've ever seen!

-- Steven . . . [more]

March 31, 2025: Happy 20th Birthday, PlayStation Portable!

I'm something of a portable video-game geek. So I was pleased to remember – yet dismayed to be reminded of the passage of time – the recent 20th anniversary of the PlayStation Portable, released in North America on March 24, 2005.

When the PSP first came out, it seemed almost magical, and some of my favorite video-game experiences of all time have come about from the portable device. It still seems magical in some ways, although – with the advent of the Nintendo Switch seven years ago – it is perhaps less so. Nevertheless, I'll still remember carrying a whirring, disc-reading gizmo and feeling like I stepped out of a golden-age science-fiction story.

Oh, and as I was researching this, I wanted to get some context as to what was happening at the company 20 years ago, and discovered that the 20th anniversary of the release of GURPS Mysteries is also around that time (April 13, 2005, . . . [more]

March 30, 2025: So It Begins

In the last few weeks, two great gaming channels on YouTube ran battle reports replaying one of the most epic battle scenes in cinema history. The siege of Helm's Deep from "The Two Towers" film is something that many minis gamers imagine doing, but rarely do we get to experience anything like this battle. These two channels are living the dream.

The first channel I want to bring to your attention is Zorp of the Rings. Lachie has multiple channels and posts scenery builds on his main channel, Zorpazorp. All of his builds are gigantic and the Helm's Deep board is no exception. You can watch the game here.

The other channel was a bit of a surprise. Little Wars TV almost exclusively creates historical content, replaying famous battles from throughout history. They've decided to explore some other genres, and Helm's Deep is a great place to start. You can watch their video here, and they've . . . [more]

March 29, 2025: Daily Game Recommendation: Raddle

If you're a fan of daily puzzle games, I can recommend Raddle, from puzzle-maker Sandy Weisz.

The core premise builds off those word ladders you've probably seen in the past:

CAT
HAT
HAG
HOG
DOG

(That's obviously a very simple example.)

Now imagine if each "next step" of the ladder was a clue to figure out, the answers can be anything . . . and you're given all the clues at once . . . only the clues are out of order.

It sounds complicated, but I find it's the right sweet spot for me, with a number of "Eureka!" moments each day. It starts out challenging (because there are a dozen clues that could fit with the next answer!), but you quickly realize you can eliminate a lot of them: "Oh, it says add a letter to make the next word, but the next word has fewer letters than the current one, so that word can't be it . . ." And so on. Often you can even work up the ladder if . . . [more]

March 28, 2025: SJ Games Connections Puzzle

I'm a big fan of the NYT Connections puzzles, and the themed puzzles in Slay the Spire's "Neowsletter" have been tugging at me for a while to create one for SJ Games. Play online by clicking through the image or following this link!

-- Irene Zielinski

Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule

The password file from Wall Street will go to Mars. April 1, 2025: Begin April With The Tardigrade d6 Dice Set We at Steve Jackson Games are always looking to bring more fun into the world, with innovative products that expand our audience in new and creative ways. To that end we proudly present . . . the Tardigrade d6 Dice Set! Unlike the popular Shark d6 Dice Set, Kitten d6 Dice Set, and other animal-themed dice that have delighted human gamers, the Tardigrade d6 Dice Set is specifically designed for the tardigrade gamers in your life! This set of 300 dice includes four each in 75 different colors, such as puce, fulvous, and black. Measuring at the standard 5-micrometer scale, these dice are perfectly balanced to roll regardless of which of your body's limbs you use. Each die has had its "6" replaced with the familiar Eye-in-the-Pyramid logo, while the included hangcard helpfully explains what an "eye" is. Believe us: The Tardigrade d6 Dice Set is like nothing you've ever seen! -- Steven . . . [more] March 31, 2025: Happy 20th Birthday, PlayStation Portable! I'm something of a portable video-game geek. So I was pleased to remember – yet dismayed to be reminded of the passage of time – the recent 20th anniversary of the PlayStation Portable, released in North America on March 24, 2005. When the PSP first came out, it seemed almost magical, and some of my favorite video-game experiences of all time have come about from the portable device. It still seems magical in some ways, although – with the advent of the Nintendo Switch seven years ago – it is perhaps less so. Nevertheless, I'll still remember carrying a whirring, disc-reading gizmo and feeling like I stepped out of a golden-age science-fiction story. Oh, and as I was researching this, I wanted to get some context as to what was happening at the company 20 years ago, and discovered that the 20th anniversary of the release of GURPS Mysteries is also around that time (April 13, 2005, . . . [more] March 30, 2025: So It Begins In the last few weeks, two great gaming channels on YouTube ran battle reports replaying one of the most epic battle scenes in cinema history. The siege of Helm's Deep from "The Two Towers" film is something that many minis gamers imagine doing, but rarely do we get to experience anything like this battle. These two channels are living the dream. The first channel I want to bring to your attention is Zorp of the Rings. Lachie has multiple channels and posts scenery builds on his main channel, Zorpazorp. All of his builds are gigantic and the Helm's Deep board is no exception. You can watch the game here. The other channel was a bit of a surprise. Little Wars TV almost exclusively creates historical content, replaying famous battles from throughout history. They've decided to explore some other genres, and Helm's Deep is a great place to start. You can watch their video here, and they've . . . [more] March 29, 2025: Daily Game Recommendation: Raddle If you're a fan of daily puzzle games, I can recommend Raddle, from puzzle-maker Sandy Weisz. The core premise builds off those word ladders you've probably seen in the past: CAT HAT HAG HOG DOG (That's obviously a very simple example.) Now imagine if each "next step" of the ladder was a clue to figure out, the answers can be anything . . . and you're given all the clues at once . . . only the clues are out of order. It sounds complicated, but I find it's the right sweet spot for me, with a number of "Eureka!" moments each day. It starts out challenging (because there are a dozen clues that could fit with the next answer!), but you quickly realize you can eliminate a lot of them: "Oh, it says add a letter to make the next word, but the next word has fewer letters than the current one, so that word can't be it . . ." And so on. Often you can even work up the ladder if . . . [more] March 28, 2025: SJ Games Connections Puzzle I'm a big fan of the NYT Connections puzzles, and the themed puzzles in Slay the Spire's "Neowsletter" have been tugging at me for a while to create one for SJ Games. Play online by clicking through the image or following this link! -- Irene Zielinski Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule		Latest Videos You are the 1387th interstellar sex god here today. (30545824 since August 1, 1995)