September 16, 2024: Virtual FOMO?

One fun thing to do in RPGs that have a purchasing element is "limited-time offers" that induce that fear of missing out. For example, the adventurers are in a little shop, and they see a rare or one-of-a-kind magic item (or even not-quite magical items, such as those found in GURPS Fantasy-Tech 1: The Edge of Reality). Do they buy it?

This technique can even come up in more cinematic games. Maybe the spies of a GURPS Action game requisition their equipment, but the place they get them from has a couple of interesting items of unusual tech. The seller has other buyers lined up, but the heroes are here now, so maybe they can work out a deal . . .

Of course, this can crop up in the real world. For example, Warehouse 23 currently has fewer than nine copies each of Munchkin Pathfinder Guest Artist Edition, Flowerspeare pawns for Munchkin Shakespeare, and Munchkin Steampunk Kill-O-Mete . . . [more]

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September 15, 2024: Steve Jackson Games: Fall 2024 Releases

Fall is coming soon, and with fall comes several great new titles from Steve Jackson Games!

Munchkin Shadowrun combines two classics: Munchkin and Shadowrun! Access the Matrix. Dodge the Corp. Stab Your Buddy. Enter the world of Shadowrun with 193 all-new cyberpunk-themed cards. Also introduced in this game are Matrix cards, which can be used to win the game in a fun and unique way!

In addition, we're excited to bring you two new Munchkin expansions: Munchkin Dead & Deader and Munchkin: Taken for Granite. Munchkin Dead & Deader features ghoulish ghosts while Munchkin: Taken for Granite is all about giant golems! Each one comes with 56 cards that can be combined with your favorite Munchkin base game.

Hack and Slash is a staff favorite, and now we've combined both the base game and the expansion, Hack & Slash 2 – Whack & Stash, into one epic box – Hack and Slash Deluxe! While . . .

[more]

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September 14, 2024: Now Available On Warehouse 23: Hexagram #12

For those who missed the successful Kickstarter in April and lived in sorrow, regret no longer – for now the wonders of Hexagram #12 can be found on Warehouse 23!

This latest zine for The Fantasy Trip has 10 new articles: a complete introductory scenario, tables to generate town markets, nobles to meet, and even a short story. Hungry for more? No worries; it also includes new rules for hunger and thirst!

Pick up Hexagram #12 as a pulse-pounding print item, or an immediately deliverable PDF. Adventure is just a mouse-click away!

-- Steven Marsh

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September 13, 2024: Quip It Good

I've talked before about how I . . . err, I mean, some writer friend envisions the world in gaming terms. Our household watches shows with a similar eye. We recently saw an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine where the handcuffed hero – being held at gunpoint – hits the captor in the face with the villain's laptop. It's mildly effective, but not so much that the antagonist can't reassert dominance with the gun . . . at which point the hero, still holding the computer, asks, "Would you like to buy a laptop?"

When we saw it, our kiddo – who's been playing a super-charismatic conman for a few years now in one of his campaigns – said, "I am so stealing that line!" And, knowing his character, he may well pull it off.

Anyway, I know I'm a few years late to the party, but Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a really fun show to view through the lens of "RPG characters making decisions and rolling skills . . . [more]

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September 12, 2024: Hacker Deluxe Print-And-Play

Hacker Deluxe is out now as a print-and-play! That's right – with a printer, a few craft supplies, and a little bit of hacking and folding, you can recreate the classic Hacker experience right at your table.

Okay, official promo hat off. Irene here. I need to tell you a story.

I first played Hacker on a drizzly Wednesday night at my college gaming club. I was able to find the exact date – January 7, 2015 – because I immediately posted about it on Instagram. Twice. My verdict:

"it's . . . really good?"

I was a computer science student and a huge fan of '80s and '90s cyberpunk. I loved Neuromancer and Hackers (1995). Hacker was right up my alley in theme, and the mechanics didn't disappoint – jumping from system to system through indials, squeaking past ICE on government servers, and distinct turn phases to phreak and nark? I felt elite. Finding out that the guy behind my favorite roleplaying . . . [more]

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Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule

Katmandu is naughty and the ring is mutant. September 16, 2024: Virtual FOMO? One fun thing to do in RPGs that have a purchasing element is "limited-time offers" that induce that fear of missing out. For example, the adventurers are in a little shop, and they see a rare or one-of-a-kind magic item (or even not-quite magical items, such as those found in GURPS Fantasy-Tech 1: The Edge of Reality). Do they buy it? This technique can even come up in more cinematic games. Maybe the spies of a GURPS Action game requisition their equipment, but the place they get them from has a couple of interesting items of unusual tech. The seller has other buyers lined up, but the heroes are here now, so maybe they can work out a deal . . . Of course, this can crop up in the real world. For example, Warehouse 23 currently has fewer than nine copies each of Munchkin Pathfinder Guest Artist Edition, Flowerspeare pawns for Munchkin Shakespeare, and Munchkin Steampunk Kill-O-Mete . . . [more] Share this post! September 15, 2024: Steve Jackson Games: Fall 2024 Releases Fall is coming soon, and with fall comes several great new titles from Steve Jackson Games! Munchkin Shadowrun combines two classics: Munchkin and Shadowrun! Access the Matrix. Dodge the Corp. Stab Your Buddy. Enter the world of Shadowrun with 193 all-new cyberpunk-themed cards. Also introduced in this game are Matrix cards, which can be used to win the game in a fun and unique way! In addition, we're excited to bring you two new Munchkin expansions: Munchkin Dead & Deader and Munchkin: Taken for Granite. Munchkin Dead & Deader features ghoulish ghosts while Munchkin: Taken for Granite is all about giant golems! Each one comes with 56 cards that can be combined with your favorite Munchkin base game. Hack and Slash is a staff favorite, and now we've combined both the base game and the expansion, Hack & Slash 2 – Whack & Stash, into one epic box – Hack and Slash Deluxe! While . . . [more] Share this post! September 14, 2024: Now Available On Warehouse 23: Hexagram #12 For those who missed the successful Kickstarter in April and lived in sorrow, regret no longer – for now the wonders of Hexagram #12 can be found on Warehouse 23! This latest zine for The Fantasy Trip has 10 new articles: a complete introductory scenario, tables to generate town markets, nobles to meet, and even a short story. Hungry for more? No worries; it also includes new rules for hunger and thirst! Pick up Hexagram #12 as a pulse-pounding print item, or an immediately deliverable PDF. Adventure is just a mouse-click away! -- Steven Marsh Share this post! September 13, 2024: Quip It Good I've talked before about how I . . . err, I mean, some writer friend envisions the world in gaming terms. Our household watches shows with a similar eye. We recently saw an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine where the handcuffed hero – being held at gunpoint – hits the captor in the face with the villain's laptop. It's mildly effective, but not so much that the antagonist can't reassert dominance with the gun . . . at which point the hero, still holding the computer, asks, "Would you like to buy a laptop?" When we saw it, our kiddo – who's been playing a super-charismatic conman for a few years now in one of his campaigns – said, "I am so stealing that line!" And, knowing his character, he may well pull it off. Anyway, I know I'm a few years late to the party, but Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a really fun show to view through the lens of "RPG characters making decisions and rolling skills . . . [more] Share this post! September 12, 2024: Hacker Deluxe Print-And-Play Hacker Deluxe is out now as a print-and-play! That's right – with a printer, a few craft supplies, and a little bit of hacking and folding, you can recreate the classic Hacker experience right at your table. Okay, official promo hat off. Irene here. I need to tell you a story. I first played Hacker on a drizzly Wednesday night at my college gaming club. I was able to find the exact date – January 7, 2015 – because I immediately posted about it on Instagram. Twice. My verdict: "it's . . . really good?" I was a computer science student and a huge fan of '80s and '90s cyberpunk. I loved Neuromancer and Hackers (1995). Hacker was right up my alley in theme, and the mechanics didn't disappoint – jumping from system to system through indials, squeaking past ICE on government servers, and distinct turn phases to phreak and nark? I felt elite. Finding out that the guy behind my favorite roleplaying . . . [more] Share this post! Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule		Latest Videos You are the 1129th artificial intelligence here today. (30055716 since August 1, 1995)