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Illuminated Site of the Week
You can now Barcode Yourself. Can Armageddon be far behind?
Warehouse 23 News: Because Cultists Have To Come From Somewhere
Baby's First Mythos brings the gentle joys of the Cthulhu mythos to the very young, with twenty-six rhymes about the horrors from beyond that every child ought to know. For those of a more tender age, there are illustrations to make sure no detail is lost on impressionable young minds.
It is no secret that personal computer equipment is getting cheaper all the time - usually in both senses of the word. As if cheap plastic cup holders that break off weren't bad enough, now Philips has developed a screen that won't even stand up by itself. I guess you need some thumb-tacks to hold it to a wall or -- pardon me? Oh, you think it'll be really expensive because you can roll it up and put it in your pocket? Well, if you say so.
The New Scientist has the story.
Warehouse 23 News: Six-Shooter Action
When ninja, pirates, space marines, and wizards just don't hold the same thrill they used to, go somewhere else for a change of pace. Somewhere to the west . . . Link:West is a Anime d20 game of adventures in the Wild West. Get away from it all, but mind those who brought Old World prejudices with them.
February 27, 2004: Illuminated Site of the Week: "Because If They Don't Vote, The Wrong Lizard Might Get In"
It looks like the Reptilians are at it again, taking over countries in support of their agenda of (of course) world control. We are all Ruled By The Serpent Gods. The author liberally quotes David Icke, but assures us, "I am not trying to persuade people. I am just gathering information to support the theory that Reptilian Extraterrestrials have controlled humanity for thousands of years." Mostly he does this with pictures of their secret lodges where the pottery is rife with illuminated imagery. -- Suggested by Jude Curran
Warehouse 23 News: His Bite Just Got Worse Than His Bark
Grave Robbers II - Skippy's Revenge gives you new characters, new props, new locations, and a dog in charge of the Legions of the Damned with this expansion to Grave Robbers from Outer Space. You have more than alien invaders to worry about this time . . .
Once upon a time a number of GURPS books were available for the cost of duplication, through the efforts of a volunteer, in both Braille and audio format. But it's been more than a year since we heard from that person and we haven't been able to find her.
This is something we DO occasionally get requests for, and we hate to just let it drop. If anyone out there is connected with a program that turns books into audio or Braille - or has the equipment and just wants to do it - we'd like to hear about it.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: More Silver Age Sentinels
Roll Call is packed with a variety of heroes to use in your campaign, with dual d20/SAS stats and detailed backgrounds. From the Files of Matthews Gentech presents a sinister madman and his warped animal creations for them to fight. Path of the Just gives you 15 stories of supers in action to read between games.
Our Store Finder and Gamer Finder have been heavily revamped. In particular, the Store Finder has been completely recoded AND given a new database. We used to use the database supplied by GAMA, but it had gone so long without updating that we gave up. Now we're maintaining our own.
So: If you're a retailer, please hit the Store Finder page and add your store!
If you're a gamer, please check listings for your area and see if any of your Friendly Local Game Stores are missing. If they are, please let them know they have the chance to sign up! (Please do NOT try to sign up on behalf of a store if you don't own it or work there. The store should decide whether it wants to be listed or not.)
And sign up for the Gamer Finder yourself while you're at it!
The cool feature of both Finders is this: the databases CAN'T get too out of date, because every six months, the system sends a query to everyone listed, asking for a confirmation and update. If there's no confirmation, the listing is dropped. So, in theory, there will be no accumulated cruft of out-of-business stores and vanished opponents.
Hope you like it. We do. All thanks to Susan Rati Lane, who coded the new version for us!
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Now With More Loot and More Evil
Travel to new places in EverQuest with The Temple of Solusek Ro, a location full of treasure and danger. (There's a GM screen included to cackle behind as you hand out the loot and make your players wonder.) Or send the PCs through an entire campaign-length adventure inside the evil-soaked walls of Befallen.
We're back from ConDFW. We had a great time. This was a very nice, well-organized little convention . . . small enough that you could meet all the guests, large enough to have a good roster. I was very happy. And I ran into a lot of old friends, both pro and fan, who I hadn't seen for a decade or more. That was VERY nice. Happy SJ.
The high point was spending time with Lois McMaster Bujold talking about GURPS Vorkosigan . . . and, even cooler, about writing in general. I hope I didn't fanboy TOO much.
The next-highest point was meeting a lot of fun fans, and most of them didn't fanboy (or girl) at all. And games were played! Chez Goth went over well, which is good since it goes to press this week.
The low point was so funny that even the victim didn't lose sleep about it . . . our table in the demo area was next to a miniatures layout, and one of the proprietors had some issues. Apparently cardboard minis threatened his manhood (actual quote: "Real men use metal or plastic.") And seeing them assembled by a pretty girl was clearly adding insult to injury. Okay, well, his kind gets rarer every year. There's hope.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: From The Television To The Tabletop
Fushigi Yûgi - The Mysterious Play Vol. 2 and The Slayers Vol. 1 present two new series guides for Big Eyes, Small Mouth. Take control of the well-known anime settings, whether you've been sucked through a portal to another world, or are just looking for an excuse to toss that Dragon Slave spell around.
February 23, 2004: But Where I Come From They Do It This Way
Zompist.com takes a stab at preconceptions about "the way things work" with an ever-growing set of culture tests that lay out explicitly just how various parts of the world approach life. With everything from expectations about how police will take bribery offers to what TV shows everyone watches to what kind of container milk ought to come in, these snappy lists of cultural assumptions give a new perspective on how other people think. There are tests for places from Canada to India to Italy, plus a few for fictional cultures people have made.
-- Fade, Warehouse 23 Clerk
Warehouse 23 News: Fast Food, Scarier Than Ever
Unknown Armies: To Go presents a campaign of epic events; even the Invisible Clergy are taking sides as the occult conspiracy of Mak Attax rolls into motion with the power of billions of unknowing consumers behind it. No matter who ends up controlling the outcome, something big is going to happen . . .
Last year, we posted a call for a programmer and got a few . . . but it turned out we weren't quite ready for them.
Oops.
We're reopening the call. If you've already applied, please apply again. (This is your chance to tout all those skills you've buffed up since the last time!) We are looking for someone to write a program on the same level of complexity as our existing software, GURPS Character Builder and GURPS Vehicle Builder. Our ideal candidate has extensive XML experience, several completed projects on his résumé, and cross-platform coding skills, but we'll look at people with only some XML background or who only know one platform.
This is not a staff position. The programmer will receive an advance and generous royalties on the finished piece of software. If you are interested, please e-mail your résumé to Devin Ganger, Computer Projects Coordinator. Title the file resume-YOURNAMEHERE.XXX (where XXX is DOC, PDF, whatever), or just include it as text (no HTML, please!) in the body of your e-mail.
Warehouse 23 News: They Just Keep Coming
That's the nasty bit about the undead; they don't go down easily. Fortunately, neither do you . . . Zombies!!! 3.5: Not Dead Yet! keeps the zombies lumbering toward you (and gives you a few ways to keep them away) with new event cards for the Zombies!!! board games.
The new "Games 100" list from Games Magazine is out. And we got two mentions, both under Family Games!
Chez Grunt was one of them. The Chez games strike again!
The other was for X-Bugs. It's nice to see this cool Italian import getting some of the recognition it deserves in this country.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: The Expanding Universe Theory
The Rifts universe just keeps getting bigger, with a steady stream of supplements for all its lines. The Rifter #25 continues the line of Rifter supplements packed full of new crunchy bits, while Federation of Magic and China 1 examine individual parts of the setting in detail.
February 20, 2004: Illuminated Site of the Week: That Makes Things So Much Easier
Attention artists: Stop. Oh, sure, you could continue to scribble out your silly little portraits and landscapes, but why bother? Howard Hallis has made his artwork the one-stop shop for graphic presentations. He's created The Picture of Everything. So don't waste your time. -- Suggested by Tony Toon
Warehouse 23 News: And The Hamsters Are Off!
Dork Tower's own Warhamster comes to life - well, to the board - with Warhamster Rally, a game of hamster racing. Of course, hamsters aren't the easiest mounts to control, and if the attacking monsters weren't bad enough, the other racers are out to make sure you're not the one to win the Warhamster Cup!
Last month, in honor of the Mars rovers (YEA, ROVERS!) Warehouse 23 gave away copies of GURPS Mars. As it turned out, we gave away 130 of them. Go us.
That deal's over, but there's a new one. If you play your cards right you can get a free copy of Unknown Armies: The Ascension of the Magdalene from Atlas Games. Check out the Warehouse 23 home page.
Hoist the mainsail, and set off to sail the seven seas! Pirate's Cove sends players off in a boisterous board game about pillaging pirates. Fight bravely, navigate skillfully, bury piles of treasure, and brag about it in all the right taverns, if you want to be named the Most Fearsome Pirate of the High Seas!
There's one more product on its way to game stores everywhere we forgot to list yesterday:
Munchkin 2 - Unnatural Axe
(Reprint)
You demanded it, and here it is. Created by Steve Jackson and illustrated by John Kovalic . . . 112 more cards for the game of killing monsters and taking their stuff. Play a new race: Orcs! Face foes like the Hydrant and the Tentacle Demon. Equip yourself with dread armor like the Spiked Codpiece. Recruit allies like the Shoulder Dragon. Wield mighty weapons like Druid Fluid, the Catapult and, of course, the dread Unnatural Axe . . . and show them who’s the greatest munchkin of all.
112 cards.
Stock #1410,
ISBN 1-55634-554-2.
$16.95.
Warehouse 23 News: And Who Did Lovecraft Admire?
H.P. Lovecraft declared Arthur Machen a writer able to create "cosmic fear raised to its most artistic pitch." The White People collects ten of Machen's short stories, a set of prose-poems, and a short novel, including the delightfully eerie title story.
The following products are heading to distributors this week and should be on your local game store shelves in the very near future:
Munchkin
(Reprint)
Go down in the dungeon. Kill everything you meet. Backstab your friends and steal their stuff. Grab the treasure and run.
Admit it. You love it.
This new card game, designed by Steve Jackson, captures the essence of the dungeon experience . . . with none of that stupid roleplaying stuff. You and your friends compete to kill monsters and grab magic items. And what magic items! Don the Horny Helmet and the Boots of Butt-Kicking. Wield the Staff of Napalm . . . or maybe the Chainsaw of Bloody Dismemberment. Start by slaughtering the Potted Plant and the Drooling Slime, and work your way up to the Plutonium Dragon . . .
And it's illustrated by John Kovalic! Fast-playing and silly, Munchkin can reduce any roleplaying group to hysteria. And, while they're laughing, you can steal their stuff.
Boxed game.
Stock #1408,
ISBN 1-55634-473-2.
$24.95.
Munchkin 3 - Clerical Errors
(Reprint)
You wanted more Munchkin, so here it is! Created by Steve Jackson and illustrated by John Kovalic . . . Munchkin 3 - Clerical Errors has 112 more cards for the best-selling game of killing monsters and taking their stuff. Play a new race: Gnomes! Try on the Bard class. Face the Tequila Mockingbird, the Bad Ass, and the dreaded Auntie Paladin! Equip yourself with amazing items like the Chainmail Bikini and the Stab-A-Matic . . . and show them who’s the mightiest, munchkinest dungeon delver of them all.
And this set has a special treat. We asked five of our favorite Comic
Guys to do one card each. So in this set you'll find:
112 cards.
Stock #1416,
ISBN 1-55634-713-8.
$16.95.
GURPS All-Star Jam 2004
Ten Authors. One Book.
Take ten fan-favorite GURPS authors. Give them each 10,000 words to write about whatever they want. The result is GURPS All-Star Jam 2004, featuring:
- Kenneth Hite, writing about ghost hunters;
- Phil Masters, with a fairytale world of muskets, ghosts, and strange magics;
- Beth McCoy, channeling Walter Milliken, on a truly dangerous job -- Mythic Babysitting;
- David Pulver's far-future space-opera campaign setting;
- Gene Seabolt, giving us the travails of the last band of Spartan mercenaries, trapped in a decaying Europe;
- William Stoddard, looking at subterranean settings for all types of roleplaying adventures;
- Brian Underhill, with a GURPS take on airships;
- Jonathan Woodward, looking at the science-fictional implications of Precursor races; and
- Jon Zeigler's "Chariots!" -- a cinematic look at the age of flashing bronze and larger-than-life heroes.
Ten top authors at the top of their games -- GURPS All-Star Jam 2004 has something for everybody!
128 pages.
Stock #6421,
ISBN 1-55634-723-5.
$24.95.
GURPS Traveller: Sword Worlds
The Day After Ragnarok
The Sword Worlds stand at the border of the Third Imperium, a small but
proud civilization descended from ancient Terran migrants. Their inhabitants
have spent centuries fighting for independence - from the Imperium, from the
other great empires, even from each other.
A decade ago, the Sword Worlds went to war against the Third Imperium.
They lost. Today, the Sword Worlders are in search of a new destiny, in a
universe where their fierce pride seems headed for an inevitable fall.
GURPS Traveller: Sword Worlds brings
this unique culture to life
for the player and GM. Every world in the area is described in detail, as
are local history, social features, special technologies, and important
people. A wealth of adventure seeds gives the GM plenty of starting
points, for any campaign set in this distinctive region of the
Traveller setting.
144 pages.
Stock #6631,
ISBN 1-55634-725-1.
$26.95.
Godlike combined superpowers with the grit of World War II, and now Donar's Hammer sends members of the Talent Operations Group into Sicily to deal with the Axis powers there. It's supposed to be a cakewalk, but a German Übermensch stands in the way . . .
Steve Jackson Games will release these titles in May, 2004:
Knightmare Chess
(Reprint)
Chess will never be the same! Knightmare Chess is chess
played with cards - and what cards! Each card breaks the rules in a wild
and unpredictable way, giving the game more twists and turns than a roller
coaster. A translation of the popular French game Tempete sur
l'Echequier by Pierre Clequin and Bruno Faidutti,
Knightmare Chess has 80 big, beautiful cards - each with an
individual color painting by
Brazilian artist Rogerio Vilela.
Some Knightmare Chess cards affect a single move, while some
change the entire game! Each card is assigned a point value, so you can
build custom decks based on an agreed point total, or handicap the match
so the better player has fewer powerful cards. The possibilities are
endless - and so is the fun!
80 oversized (4-1/2" x 2-1/2") cards and a rulesheet in a 8" x 4-7/8" x 1/2" box.
Stock #1321,
ISBN 1-55634-332-9.
$16.95.
Chez Goth
Angst. Nookie. Roommates. Just another Friday night at Chez Goth.
This stand-alone game puts a new spin on the award-winning (and all too realistic) Chez Geek. You're still living with a bunch of roommates . . . but now you're a Goth!
Work at your dreary job. Spend your hard-earned money and precious time to accumulate Slack points . . . or collect Gloom when life turns against you. As it will! You can earn Slack for buying Clothes, Shinies, and Booze . . . or you can just Cough, Complain, or even Faint Dramatically, especially if you have an audience. And if you get very lucky, there might be some Graveyard Nookie in your future.
Yes, you can combine these cards with Chez Geek and have a house full of Goths AND slackers. Fortunately, it's just a game . . . isn't it?
112 cards in a tuck box.
Stock #1354,
ISBN 1-55634-728-6.
$16.95.
Star Munchkin RPG
The Star Munchkin Roleplaying Game takes the Munchkin experience to a final frontier a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away where no one can hear you scream. But everyone will hear you laugh.
Now you can play your favorite races and classes from the Star Munchkin card game, including Mutants, Cyborgs, and Cat People . . . taking on Fanged Fuzzballs, Bionic Bimbos, and the fiendish Brain In a Jar with the latest in exotic and rules-abusive SF weapons, like the Vibrosword, Nova Grenade, and the ultra-powerful Laser-Maser-Bobaser-Bananafanafofaser. The Star Munchkin RPG will also include the new goodies from Star Munchkin 2 - The Clown Wars.
The Star Munchkin RPG is a little different in format from the original Munchkin RPG books. Rather than breaking the information into the now-traditional three volumes, Star Munchkin will be a single, 96-page hardback book. Star Munchkin will be produced under the Open Game License published by Wizards of the Coast.
Munchkin out . . . in SPACE!
96 pages.
Stock #3404,
ISBN 1-55634-670-0.
$19.95.
GURPS Traveller: Nobles
Lords of the Stars
From the Imperial family to the lowest knight; from the fantastically
wealthy duchess on her private estate world to the impoverished
baronet who barely has a Free Trader's bunk to call his own; from the
archduke who governs hundreds of worlds to the knight with no formal
duties - in Traveller, the aristocracy plays a major role
in society, in government, and in the military.
Would you like to serve one of the Imperium's nobles . . . or be one?
GURPS Traveller: Nobles covers the aristocracy of the
Third Imperium and beyond in detail never seen before. It details the lifestyle,
fortunes, duties, and responsibilities of the nobility in the Third
Imperium, the Vilani ruling class at the
height of the Ziru Sirka, and the Darrian and Zhodani systems. Capsule biographies cover
the Imperial family and other movers and shakers of the Imperium.
Floor plans of mansions, private yachts, and vacation getaways are
included.
144 pages.
Stock #6624,
ISBN 1-55634-432-5.
$26.95.
Warehouse 23 News: Aliens Without Bumpy Foreheads
Klingons expands the GURPS Prime Directive line with a sourcebook on the classic, unridged version of the universe's favorite aliens. If warrior cultures aren't quite your thing, try taking a closer look at the Hydrans in Module Prime Alpha, a supplement packed with articles on tech, advanced combat, and more.
Here's a really, really neat report from John Kovalic:
*****
Irish convention-goers are known for their unbelievable generosity. They regularly raise sums of money unheard of at American of English cons. Mostly - I think - this is because the Irish nature is wondrous and giving to a fault. The fact that Irish cons ALSO hold their charity auctions in pubs might have a teeny something to do with this as well. Free-flowing Guinness, Murphy's and Jameson's certainly lubricate the proceedings (and probably ease the pain of some of the truly magnanimous donations).
Warpcon holds its annual charity auction at the Old Pub on the University College of Cork campus.
Last Saturday, something terribly spectacular (and terribly humbling) happened.
The first year I was at Warpcon, I donated three hand-drawn Chez Geek cards ("Irish Cons," "Guinness" and "Murphy's," I seem to recall: each gave the recipient some serious Slack points). These raised a few hundred dollars for children's charities. So this year, I put up three more items for the auction.
I talked with Steve Jackson about doing something special for it: we both agreed that the soon-to-press Chez Goth game would be the perfect vehicle for the donation. The winner of the item would be drawn by me to appear in the full, honest-to-goodness, in-print, sold everywhere around the world, accept-no-substitutes actual Chez Goth production run.
Well, the auction ran long and was (as always) a hoot. I bid early and won a super "Beware of the Dragon" plaque for $30. Then a Squidbob Squarepants T-shirt (the only T-shirt I brought to the con) went for a gob-smacking $312. I was stunned, to say the least.
But that was nothing compared to what was to come.
The competition for an appearance in Dork Tower 28 was incredible. A sea of hands went up, and when only one was remaining, the final bid was 750 Euros - about $1,000 at the current exchange rate (by the way, thank YOU, Washington D.C., for sending the dollar plummeting against pretty much every currency on the planet, including some that I believe are seashell-based).
Of course, $1,000 isn't an unheard-of sum for an Irish charity auction. Two years ago at Warpcon, a date with three student nurses went for 1,000 Euros (beating out the printers' bluelines of "Livin' La Vida Dorka" as the highest auction item). Unfortunately, the chap who bid on on them (rumor has it) slept through the date . . . and then his girlfriend found out about it.
I was always a little jealous of that (since it beat out the "Livin' La Vida Dorka" proofs). Still, truth be told, I would have been happy if the Chez Goth appearance went for 500 Euros, and that's what I had my fingers crossed for.
The Warpcon folks held it as their last item (which left me a tad trepidatious, since that meant that the bar had closed). But the bidding started . . . AT 500 Euros! Yes, someone screamed out "500" the moment the bidding started. And I grabbed a drink.
In a few seconds, it had passed 1,000 Euros ($1,280). Then it passed 1,500 Euros. Then 2,000 Euros . . . and hands were still in the air!
Bidding slowed at 2,700 Euros (over $3,000), with only two people were left in battle. Then one of the auctioneers asked me whether -- if they could hit the 3,000 Euro mark -- I'd do TWO cards (one for each bidder at 1,500 Euros each).
I wasn't in any position to call Steve Jackson to get his OK on this, but (knowing him) I was comfortably sure he'd go for that. So I agreed.
Then a third hand went up.
Quick consultation with the organizers: would I be willing to do a THIRD Chez Goth card for charity? Well, I figured, since there was a full day left of the con (meaning I could draw all of the winners before I flew back to London), and the worst Steve could do was throttle me . . . sure! Why not!
And THAT is how Chez Goth raised 4,500 Euros ($5,720) for Irish children's charities! Throwing in the Dork Tower appearance, nearly $7,000 of the auction's $15,000 total came from people generous (and mad) enough to bid on my little scribblings. Some people even said that the 4,500 Euros Chez Goth brought in was a record for Irish gaming charity auctions!
Blown away? I was absolutely petrified. Fortunately I didn't have to buy a drink all night long (of course, at Warpcon, I seldom do anyway), because I NEEDED some! The next day, all three winners were happy with the sketches I did of them. (They could choose what card they wanted to be on, and also got the original art for that card).
So a MILLION thanks (or at the very minimum, 4,500 thanks) go out to Howard Samuel (who will be on the "Graveyard Shift" card), Aurelie Trombetta (who will be on the "Faint Dramatically" card) and Emma Ryan (who will be on the "Can't Find Your Clothes" card).
A *lot* of kids in Ireland are going to be helped because of their generosity!
-- John Kovalic
*****
Two things to add:
(1) The three winners' names will appear on the Chez Goth rulesheet, with as much of the story as we can fit into the space.
(2) John's cover note to me said "Next year, let's see if we have a Munchkin appearance up." I'm good with that . . . hmm, and I even know what Munchkin supplement it will probably be. Cool.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Maybe Creating Killer Tech Was A Bad Idea
A classic of the post-apocalyptic genre comes to the d20 System with the Gamma World RPG. Explore the ruins of an advanced society, and encounter the twisted results of its science with Machines and Mutants. And if you're feeling really brave, try out some of that ancient forbidden tech with Out of the Vaults.
February 14, 2004: Illuminated Site of the Week: But Is It Cheddar?
You may not know much about art, but you no doubt know what you like to eat. Santa Fe's Lapides Gallery apparently allows doodles. Two great tastes that display right together. -- Suggested by GA Douglass
Warehouse 23 News: A New Level Of Mapping
Serious GMs know the Campaign Cartographer series of mapping software is one of the best options for campaign mapping. Now, you can give your maps a whole new dimension with Perspectives Pro. Or, step into a new time period with Symbol Set 3 - Modern.
I had the pleasure today of sharing some excellent sushi and sashimi with George Sanger, aka The Fat Man, the biggest waistline . . . ahh, the biggest NAME in videogame sound. We both live in Austin, we've known each other for years, but we never managed to really sit down and talk before. OK, now we have remedied that omission. And I can hope that some neat things will come out of it.
It would be neater, of course, if I actually had a digital game project that I was ready to sic an audio genius on. But one step at a time. Got the games. Got the genius. Now gotta get the "digital."
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: One Pyramid Atop Another
IceTowers is a real-time game of competitively stacking those delightfully shiny Icehouse pyramids into towers. The set includes all the pieces you need to play, as well as a copy of The Empty City, Andrew Looney's book of strange and surreal short stories that inspired the game.
Have you ever looked at some piece of modern art, and thought, "Even I could paint that"?
Why, yes. You can paint that.
Mr. Picassohead is a quirky blank canvas to work on, offering pieces from Picasso's paintings of faces for you to size, rotate, color, and arrange. There's an attached gallery where you can save your own work and browse all the myriad places other people have gone with the same basic tools.
Go. See. Paint.
-- Fade, Warehouse 23 Clerk
Warehouse 23 News: The Martians Are Invading!
Recreate the classic thriller The War of the Worlds. Containing the entire text of the original War of the Worlds novel, this dual-statted Action!/d20 sourcebook lets you unleash the unearthly Martian tripods on the unsuspecting populace (and PCs) of turn-of-the-century England.
This photo was taken at Necronomicon over Halloween; I'm just now getting around to posting it because fnord. As you see, I have a close double in Florida. The scary part is, he's named Steve too.
Hmm. I sense that my time is freeing up, and I'll be able to go to a lot more conventions this year!
-- Steve Jackson
Sengoku (also available in hardcover) takes you to historical feudal Japan, where men are driven by the call of honor and the threat of shame above all else. Sengoku contains conversion rules for eight systems, and character sheets are available for Fuzion.
So if you didn't find a valid web page for Chez Goth, look again. The fairies must have affected your browser or something. (No, we have not formally announced this game, but a lot of people have heard about it . . . details on that story Real Soon Now . . . and we'll let you know a ship date soon.)
Likewise, if you looked at the GURPS Traveller: Nobles page and didn't see the great Gutierrez art, you should look again, because it's there now. I mean, because the planets are in a more favorable position.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: As Igor Quietly Slips Out The Back Entrance . . .
Torches & Pitchforks is a card game of fighting monsters, with a twist. Instead of the usual band of intrepid adventurers going after dungeons of critters, it's fed-up townsfolk taking matters into their own hands. After years of having their village terrorized by monsters, this time it's the villagers who are going to storm the castle.
I'm going to be at ConDFW, north
of Dallas, in a couple of weeks. Aiding in this evil plot will be Mia
Sherman, who is my executive assistant among other hats, and Fade
Manley, part of the Warehouse
23 team . . . but they will be coming mainly in their capacities
as members of our Crack In-House Playtest Team. Because we are going
to demo games until our eyes cross.
On our current list are four games that won't be out at the time of
the con, so you can get sneak previews: GreedQuest, Chez Goth, Illuminati: Crime Lords, and Burn In Hell.
(There are no links for Chez Goth and Burn In Hell yet . . . keep watching this space.)
And we're going to be prepared to run at least seven
already-published games . . . Munchkin, Star Munchkin, Dork Tower, Strange Synergy, Spooks, Snits, and The Awful Green Things From Outer Space. And we'll have . . . FINALLY!! . . .
the completed Cardboard Heroes Castles: Walls and Towers to show off.
And this is going to be that wonderful thing: a relatively small and
intimate con with a stellar guest list. Lois McMaster Bujold (to whom
I'll be reporting on GURPS
Vorkosigan progress), Barry N. Malzberg, Robert Sheckley,
Robert Asprin, John Steakley, Lillian Stewart Carl . . . the artist
GoH is GoH Alan Gutierrez, who has done many covers for us, most
recently GURPS
Traveller: Nobles . . .
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Wrath Of Mother Nature
Continuing the Legends & Lairs line of d20 supplements, Elemental Lore and Wildscape bring you face to face with the elements and the wild. From primal spirits to sentient forests, these books show you just how dangerous nature can be.
February 8, 2004: If We Can Do This, We Can Do Anything
JP Brown has created a Lego device that solves Rubik's Cube . . . that is, put a mixed-up cube into it, and it will physically grab and turn until the cube is solved.
Truly the Singularity is at hand.
Warehouse 23 News: Cheaper By The Dozen
Want a few cheap and easy cardboard set pieces for your minis? How about a few dozen? Vyllage-on-the-Cheep: Volume One and Volume Two let you print out as many of the colorful little buildings as you want, to build complete quaint little villages for your game's villains (or PCs) to terrorize.
Ever wonder what something looks like at the molecular level? Michael Davidson does -- and he has an really good microscope, so he can find out. Fortunately, he's decided to share what he has learned on his website, MolecularExpressions.com.
Of particular note are all the Easter eggs chip designers put in their designs, things no one would normally ever see. They can be found in The Silicon Zoo. Enjoy!
Warehouse 23 News: Want To Know What They're Not Telling You?
Secrets of the Unicorn and Secrets of the Dragon peel back the mysteries of two Legend of the Five Rings clans, bringing out all the dark little secrets the leaders of the clans have been hiding from others or even keeping from their own followers.
February 6, 2004: Illuminated Site of the Week: And Yeti Keeps Eluding Us
But now we've got him/her/it right where we want him/her/it. If you have a computer and a scenic view, you can be part of YETI@Home. Get information about the attendant programs at the site. Imagine thousands of PCs working around the clock to solve one of the greatest mysteries of our age. -- Suggested by Peter Barnes
Warehouse 23 News: Cold War, Hot Guns
Spycraft: The 1960s returns to the era that perfected espionage, packed with ways to twist history from inside the most unconventional war the world had ever known. From the double agents in the KGB to the shooter who was really on that grassy knoll, there's room for any spy game in this Spycraft sourcebook.
Primaries are coming up. Okay, they've already started, but still . . .
Vote. Vote for somebody. Whether you vote to make a statement, for somebody who you are sure can't win, or vote as tactically as you play your games. Just do it.
If you vote and your candidate loses, you can blame all the idiots around you, but if you don't vote, then you didn't even TRY.
-- Steve Jackson
The voting is over (and yes, we know there are 11 months left in the year).
This kid is going to spend his entire childhood getting his butt kicked. Perhaps 3.0 will include bodyguard support.
Warehouse 23 News: From Desktop To Tabletop
The world of Warcraft comes to the tabletop with Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, the Manual of Monsters, and the Alliance & Horde Compendium. Recreate the original campaign, pilfer its background for your own setting, or strike off in new directions with these crunch-packed books.
What is the big deal about Doctors Without Borders? They've still got B. Dalton's.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: For The Paranoid GM In Us All
The Traveller20: Referee's Screen brings a new level of security to GMing your Traveller20 campaign, giving you not only charts and a mini-campaign setting but also a new way to make your players wonder what's going on in the GM's head.
February 2, 2004: The Matter Now Before This Committee Is . . .
. . . A fermionic condensate, a new state of matter which could lead to superconductors, cheap mag-lev trains, and all sorts of other ultra-techy goodness. Read the CNN story for details.
Warehouse 23 News: Top 10 For January
Check out Warehouse 23's best selling items for January on the Warehouse 23 Top 10 page.
Turns out that comic virtuoso Marv Wolfman likes Munchkin. Check out his site! John Kovalic told me he liked the game and we sent him a Star Munchkin, and he mentions it in his blog. Lots of other good stuff too . . . his opinions about manga are very interesting . . . I spent quite a while just looking around!
-- Steve Jackson
Here to solve the problem of the insufficiently horrific Call of Cthulhu campaign, The Unspeakable Oath #16/17 adds a bit more terror to your game. Whether your players are off to be devoured as investigators or ready to face the horror as Delta Green personnel, this double issue will give you plenty to scream about.
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