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July 31, 2004: Pause And Contemplate. Then Code.
Thanks to Devin Ganger for bringing this site to my attention.
The CSS Zen Garden is devoted to exploring all the possibilities of CSS (cascading style sheets). Using exactly the same HTML, dozens of designers have created CSS files to give the page radically different appearances. If you are at all interested in good web design, you owe it to yourself to take an hour and browse this site.
(We should mention that it won't work in browsers with broken CSS support, which includes Netscape 4. Sorry. Get Mozilla.)
-- Andrew Hackard, Managing Editor
Warehouse 23 News: Dragons On The Road
Penumbra books provide a wealth of easy-to-use pieces for d20 System games, from short and interesting encounters on journeys to the lairs of all sorts of dragons. Get more unique and entertaining ready-to-go incidents for your own game with En Route III: The Road Less Travelled and Seven Serpents.
Wednesday night I drove up to Crawford, Texas, with our shipping clerk, John Northrup, to attend the big outdoor screening of Fahrenheit 9/11, billed as "Michael Moore's movie in Bush's back yard!"
Well, we weren't exactly in Bush's back yard; in fact, we were in a big parking area next to the Crawford football stadium. Organizers of the event claimed about 5,000 attendees; this news story claims about 1,000. I'm guessing it was closer to 2,000. The showing was sponsored by the Crawford Peace House, which is pretty much what it sounds like.
It's fair to say that most native Crawfordites (Crawfordians? Crawfordsters?) were not pleased to have us there. Several businesses along the main street had large "Bush in 2004" placards or banners, and many townsfolk were walking around in pro-Bush (or anti-Moore) shirts. At the entrance to the screening site, a number of demonstrators carried signs and encouraged everyone to vote for Bush in November. I wouldn't say the atmosphere was cordial, but it was certainly not inflamed or even especially hostile, as you might expect from a small town in Texas. John told me today that he heard there was a scuffle, but if so, I missed it completely.
I'm not going to talk about the movie itself, except to say that I'm glad I saw it. I wish Mr. Moore had not backed out of the screening, because there are questions I would have liked to have had answered. I would encourage all Americans to see the movie before Election Day. I would also encourage them all to view the film with a critical eye, and be aware that Moore's film is quite one-sided, and that he himself would not argue that fact. In the strictest sense, this is not a documentary; this is a movie where the script, characters, and plot are drawn from real people and real events, but which doesn't attempt objectivity. (I'm very carefully not talking about my own political views, because I think Bush supporters have as much to gain from seeing the movie as Kerry supporters and the large mass of people who haven't decided, don't like either of them, or just don't care. It does raise some good questions. It glosses over just as many. There are lots of issues here to discuss, and we only lose when, through apathy or blind partisanship, we fail to do so.)
I'm glad I went. I hope we did not unduly inconvenience the good people of Crawford, but I'm afraid we probably did (with our traffic, if nothing else). Wednesday night's screening was, to me, a heartening example of what is right about America -- information (slanted, to be sure) was made available to anyone who cared to see it, and those who disagreed had the freedom to speak out. As long as we remember to listen to those who do not share our convictions, rather than trying to shout them down, I have no fears about the future of the United States and of the world.
-- Andrew Hackard, Managing Editor
For those who wanted something a little different from the standard Dungeons & Dragons setting, Monte Cook offered the Arcana Unearthed setting. Now you can jump headfirst into this particular pit with the Arcana Unearthed Intro Pack, collecting four useful introductory items.
July 29, 2004: I Am A Beautiful Animal! I Am A Destroyer Of Worlds! I Am Harry *AHEM* Potter!
More reportage from the Alamo Drafthouse . . .
Friday night I went to a packed showing of Wizard People, Dear Reader. Austin comic-book artist Brad Neely has created his own narration for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, narration which is hysterical, warped, and somehow abusive and respectful of the material at the same time. (It is, essentially, a DVD commentary track . . . as recorded by someone who isn't quite as familiar with the movie as he ought to be, and is a bit overfond of onomatopoeia to boot.) Such characters as Hagar the Horrible, Prof. Hardcastle McCormick, and the lovable Ronny "The Bear" Weasel populate this narrative. It was definitely something to be experienced -- especially with Brad reading (and elaborating on, and sometimes mistiming) his commentary live.
Lest y'all feel left out, the Wizard People, Dear Reader soundtrack can be downloaded. Fair warning: these are BIG files, and should be converted to audio CDs before use. Read the directions at the bottom of the page.
Neely's work is very, very funny, and highly commended to your attention if you are at all a fan of the original book or movie.
WARNING: These audio files contain many uses of certain Anglo-Saxon four-letter monosyllables and variants thereof. Parents should probably try this out for themselves before showing this to your children, who won't get a lot of the jokes anyway.
-- Andrew Hackard, Managing Editor
In the quick-moving card game of Hex-Hex, you get to hit your friends (and any enemies you can convince to play) with hexes, and try to dodge the ones they're throwing back at you. Deflect, redirect, and alter everything they can throw at you, and hope that you don't run out of options before anyone else.
Woot! Kira has made several new desktop backgrounds (aka "wallpaper") - the Eye in the Pyramid in three colors, and several of the INWO logos, too. Take a look at the updated wallpaper page.
In most d20 System fantasy campaigns, everyone knows how monsters, magic, and mayhem are supposed to work. But it's the Secrets that are dangerous, and this book has plenty of them. Wizards, lunatics, and prophets: do you want to know what their minds hold?
Saturday night (and Sunday morning) I attended a "Rolling Roadshow" sponsored by SJ Games' favorite theater, the Alamo Drafthouse. (And by SJ Games' favorite, I mean my favorite.) They brought in George A. Romero for the Roadshow of the Living Dead -- and we all were pretty undead, by the end of the night -- out at a reconstructed farm village in northeast Austin. Folks sat in folding chairs, on blankets or cushions, and one group settled into an old couch they trucked in with them. Food and drinks were available, and Mr. Romero was there to sign many hundreds of items and do a Q&A before the movies started. All in all, a very cool experience indeed, and I'm glad I went (especially as, ashamed as I am to admit it, I hadn't seen any of these movies -- in fact, the only Romero movie I had seen before last night was Knightriders, which was the favorite movie of one of my college roommates).
Movies shown were:
- Night of the Living Dead. Fun movie, although I wish we'd had a better print; there were several obvious splices and the film actually broke right at the beginning of the movie (before the people have even gotten out of the car at the cemetery).
- The Crazies. I'm not sure how I feel about this one; it didn't seem like it hung together too well. (In fairness, this could have something to do with my two visits to the porta-potty line during this movie; I scaled back my liquid consumption for the rest of the night.) I won't say I disliked it, but I didn't like it a lot, either.
- Creepshow. I had heard very mixed things about this movie, but I was thoroughly entertained. This was a last-minute substitution for Martin, as the only print the Drafthouse could locate was so warped that it was unshowable. While I think I would have preferred to see Martin, Creepshow was a perfectly fine substitute.
- Day of the Dead. This was a cool way to end the marathon; at several points I found myself gripping the ends of my armrests, arms rigid, waiting for the situation to resolve itself. This isn't a movie I'd want to watch over and over, but it was entertaining and had plenty of "You FOOL!!" moments from the audience.
The crowd was really into the whole thing, which made it a lot more fun for everyone. Lots of laughter, cheering, and even applause when particularly loathsome characters met their grisly ends. My only major disappointment was that they couldn't track down a usable print of Dawn of the Dead so they could show the whole trilogy. Now I'll have to track it down myself.
-- Andrew Hackard, Managing Editor
Warehouse 23 News: Vampires And Werewolves And Ghouls, Oh My
Return to the classic example of high-fantasy horror and gloom with White Wolf's new Ravenloft Core Rulebook. There's no time for brooding on the terror when things in the night are bumping up against your door wanting to come in for a snack.
July 26, 2004: Illuminated Site of the Week: Them Fear And Paranoia Harvests Are Comin' In Right Nice
Like the crossword puzzle in the Sunday New York Times, it's about time someone sat down long enough to interpret the mystic symbols in fields and connect them to global plots to manipulate mankind. The Howell Crop Circles and the Illuminati tells you all you need to know about what, other than wheat, we're growing in the world's heartlands. -- Suggested by Jim Prange
In the world of Midnight, the darkness has conquered all. The City of Shadow stands as proof of that, with an impossibly tall black tower in the middle of what was once a bright city. But Sorcery and Shadow has a touch of magic for you, and with magic, there's always a glimmer of hope.
Look, when an Ogre Mark VI shows up in the field outside the main offices and politely requests that the miniature version of itself be sold again, are you about to say no? Neither were we. (And we would have warned Albert not to, but . . . too late now. Time to look for another intern.)
In any case, subtle methods of persuasion aside, we now have all the Ogre miniatures available again in Warehouse 23. (Enough people have already found out about our friend the Mark VI that the first batch sold through, but don't worry, we have more on the way.) You can also find more of the Off the Wall Armies miniatures, including some pieces that were never released before.
And, look, the treads are starting to kill the grass in the field, so if you could make our friend the Ogre happy and go look at the minis now, so that he'll be satisfied and go away, we'd really appreciate it. It's hard to use the parking lot when he's sitting there, and the mailman won't come by anymore.
Warehouse 23 News: Radioactive Danger Is More Fun
Oh, sure, everyone's ready to play in a post-apocalyptic world crawling with danger, but what about the poor GM who's responsible for coming up with all the appropriate challenges and evil out there? Good thing the Gamma World Game Master's Guide is waiting for you.
The following are shipping from our warehouse to distributors around the world right now, more or less. Look for them in a game store near you in the very near future:
Munchkin Blender
Stir Things Up!
It's the ultimate party kit for Munchkin fans! Munchkin players really like to combine their sets . . . Munchkin, Star Munchkin, Munchkin Fu, all in one game. That gets really weird . . . but it can also slow the game down.
There are a lot of ways we COULD have addressed this problem. But this is Munchkin, so the solution we chose was to create a lot of really overpowered new cards. Why be a Super-Munchkin when you can be an Ultra-Munchkin? If a Half-Breed isn't enough, you can be a 1/3-Breed. And if a single Cheat card doesn't do it for you, you can Cheat With Both Hands!
There are also a lot more monster enhancers . . . and ITEM enhancers, too. There are several new low-level monsters to help you get those easy kills. Unless somebody takes that Sock Puppet and turns it into the Ultra-Rare Extremely Sneaky Sock Puppet With Extra Cheese . . .
This set also includes the complete, updated Epic rules, covering all races and classes released in every Munchkin game so far.
Munchkin till you drop!
Munchkin Blender -- just add players!
This is a supplement, not a stand-alone game. It is meant to be combined with at least one Munchkin game, and preferably two or more, with or without other supplements.
112 cards and rules in shrinkwrapped folder.
Stock #1424,
ISBN 1-55634-731-6.
$16.95.
Principia Discordia
(Reprint)
This book is the bible of Discordianism . . . the worship of Eris, the
goddess of Chaos. This great "cult classic" first appeared in 1965. This
new edition adds 20 pages of new material, as revealed by Eris to her
faithful worshipers when they probably should have been mowing the lawn or
something.
WARNING: This book contains subversive truths, absurd lies, guerrilla
philosophy, and several very naughty words. Open mind before reading!
Q: Is Eris true?
A. Everything is true.
Q. Even false things?
A. Even false things are true.
Q. How can that be?
A. I don't know, man. I didn't do it!
Digest-sized softcover 116-page book.
Stock #3002,
ISBN 1-55634-320-5.
$11.95.
Warehouse 23 News: Open Hand, Closed Hand
There are two paths to walk in Legend of the Five Rings. With the Way of the Open Hand there is no need for weapons, only the control over the body which acompanies enlightenment. On the other path, for those who would trust steel and wood, perhaps you would prefer The Complete Exotic Arms Guide?
Philip J. Reed, creator of Frag, vs Monsters, and lots of other nifty stuff, will be speaking tonight in the Pyramid Chat. He'll talk about his most recent 24 hour game (and what that entails), his new game Motocaust, and where Ronin Arts is headed. Stop by at 7pm to have your own questions answered.
Pyramid is our online zine, now with more chats and GURPS Fourth Edition sneak peeks. As always, Pyramid has Ken Hite's Suppressed Transmission, weekly comics (including John Kovalic's Dork Tower and Murphy's Rules, drawn by Greg Hyland), and reviews from every area of gaming. Click here to subscribe!
Add a little more unworldly terror and incomprehensible horror to your life with the new Call of Cthulhu toys: Plush Secret Agent Cthulhu, Plush Baby Nyarlathotep, Plush Deep One, and the Cthulhu Hand Puppet await to engulf you in their foul embrace.
I just got back from the Alamo Drafthouse, an institution which used to be unique to Austin but is now spreading . . . which is good. The basic formula is "Show quirky films and serve people dinner while they watch." Great formula.
I was there to give a brief introductory talk to Steve Metze's new film about gamers, Uber Goober. Since I had not seen the film, my talk consisted of (a) determining that the audience was mostly gamers or, at the very least, people who game, and (b) pointing out that we had emerged from our days of persecution, and now ruled the world, but we were STILL GEEKS. Then I (c) sat down so they could watch the film.
Now here's the funny part. This film was made in Austin. Steve M. and his crew drove over large parts of the civilized world, not to mention Lake Geneva, to interview various gaming personalities. But he never interviewed me; I'm not in the film. He asked me, during the Q&A session afterwards, if I remembered why. All I could recall was some vagueness about scheduling. He said that yes, that was one way to describe it. And then he reminded me and I remembered exactly.
When he first contacted me about the film, the description didn't sound exciting. It sounded deadly dull. And I told him so. Because I don't have time to get involved with all the cool stuff that comes by me, let alone fool with the boring stuff, and this didn't sound like a good use of HIS time, let alone mine. And I was up front with him about that.
So apparently he printed out that letter and kept it around, just to give him something to be mad about when his energy was flagging . . .
So he finished the film. And I got to see it, and I laughed in most of the right places, and on the whole:
- I was wrong. This isn't boring. I thought it was pretty slow in places, but then I have been one of the Geek Tribe for a looooong time; I've been to more conventions than I can count; I could have recited a lot of the interviews in that film a half-beat ahead of the person who was talking, complete with the "uhhhhh"s and the nervous giggles. Okay, yeah, I'm old and grumpy; sue me. But . . .
- I'm GLAD that I was wrong, and I'm glad that Steve made this film, and if my original putdown helped in some twisted way, well, GOOD.
This is kind of a cute film, and while it shows us with all our warts (and our nervous giggles), it's basically friendly. If you're a gamer, it won't teach you a thing you don't know, but you may get a nice sense of self-affirmation out of it, especially the last five minutes. But if you have relatives who think gaming is weird, threatening, Satanic, or whatever, they MIGHT get something out of this film. At least, if they're open-minded. The filmed interviews with the "D&D is Satanic" crowd are hilarious on first viewing, and very creepy on reflection. Do people really think that way? Yes, Virginia, they do, and they think that if you don't think that way you're a threat.
Whoa. Help me down from this soapbox. Point of this rather long entry: I'm glad this film got made and I'm glad I got to see it. Hit the Uber Goober site if you want to know more. Yes, he sells the DVDs online.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: More Shirty Goodness
You've played the game, you might have even lived the life . . . but do you have the Chez Goth T-Shirt? Yes? In that case, you still need the IOU Sweatshirt to keep you warm at night, and to keep the ArchDean from becoming . . . annoyed. We wouldn't want that.
So I just saw this film, and I'm recommending it. Right, right, Mister Big Film Critic, I'm not. But I liked it.
Secondhand Lions was released just last year, and, as it turns out, was even filmed near Austin. But even so, I'd never heard about it. Hello? Michael Caine? Robert Duvall? Haley Joel Osment, the kid from The Sixth Sense? Why didn't this make more of a splash?
I suspect it may be that the PG rating, and the fact that reviewers used words like "heartwarming," turned off a lot of the people who would have liked it. Well, it IS a bit goopy in places. But Caine and Duvall play the damndest old reprobates . . . living proof that if you haven't grown up by the time you're 30, nobody can make you. You could get a good one-shot out of this, or even a short campaign. Or you could just watch it for fun.
Senile delinquents. Heh.
-- Steve Jackson
[I just wanted to add a second vote for this movie -- and I did go see it in the theater, which was a wonderful experience. Steve also didn't mention that Berkeley Breathed, of "Bloom County" fame, illustrated the closing credits, so if you like his stuff, there's another small but worthy reason to give this one a rental.]
-- Andrew Hackard, Managing Editor
Queen of Wands fans, rejoice! We have two T-shirts from the illustrious Aerie, starting with the saucy READ shirt (available as regular T-shirts and baby dolls) and followed by the Broken Image T-Shirt.
On July 20, 1969 -- 35 years ago today -- human beings first set foot on the moon, part of the Apollo 11 mission. Now NASA has created an archive of pictures and other data from the Apollo project. Many pictures have been rescanned from the original films, but at a much higher resolution.
Enjoy, and remember that we can accomplish great things in an astonishingly brief time, when we want to.
-- Andrew Hackard, Managing Editor
Girly ninja, have no fear: for you there is honorable apparel with which you may terrify your enemies and lull the unwary into a false sense of security. Behold, the Guaranteed Delivery Baby Doll and Kiss The Ninja Camisole. To go without would bring shame to your clan.
Mia Sherman has been my assistant for - gee, quite a while. Friday was her last day. She's moving to be with her parents, and I'm not going to have (a) an assistant, and (b) my Igor. I will miss her. She has been, not just a reliable henchman, but a big part of the social life of the company. Playtests will not be the same without her.
I take comfort in her assurance that she'll still hang out on the Pyramid MOO (where I first really got to know her, though we met at a convention) and in Puzzle Pirates (though I have actually never run into her character there, perhaps that will change).
-- Steve Jackson
Your d20 System campaign has traveled the land, sailed the oceans, and even explored the depths of the world underground . . . But has anyone tried looking up? Aerial Adventure Guide: Sky Captain's Handbook presents a wealth of information for creatures of the sky, flying ships, and even entire floating cities.
Indeed. Proofs for the GURPS Basic Set are occupying almost every flat surface in my living room. They look pretty good so far . . .
-- Steve Jackson
July 17, 2004: Illuminated Site of the Week: Shoot The Moon
Get this: The Lunar Federation is attempting to sell plots of land on the moon. That's crazy talk, as we have already told you the Lunar Embassy is doing it. There's nothing else for it but to let both sides fight it out . . . in one-sixth gravity. -- Suggested by Anthony M. Grasso
Warehouse 23 News: Without A King Of Your Own
The king has died (as kings seem so prone to doing right before a card game starts) and the god, Blue Moon, has traipsed off somewhere. Naturally, this means everyone is taking the opportunity to duke it out for control.
July 16, 2004: Graveyard Greg Speaks On Pyramid!
Graveyard Greg, writer for Gaming Guardians (among other webcomics), will be chatting tonight at 7 p.m. (CDT) in Pyramid's Auditorium. Greg will speak on the transition from web to print, his new spin-off series, and whatever else he feels like.
Don't have a subscription to Pyramid? Now is the perfect time, with more chats, GURPS Fourth Edition sneak peeks, Ken Hite's Suppressed Transmissions, and weekly comics (including John Kovalic's Dork Tower and Murphy's Rules, drawn by Greg Hyland). Click here to subscribe!
Lunch Money needs no introduction, but its fans need shirts. Fortunately, there are options out there. Pick your favorite card from Hail Mary, Chain, Imaginary Friend, Time Out, and more.
Steve Jackson Games announces the following releases for November, 2004:
Burn in Hell
Cleopatra. Blackbeard. Attila the Hun. Richard Nixon. John Wilkes Booth.
Collect the souls of the damned! In Burn in Hell, you try to assemble the tastiest "Circles" of history's sinners. Trade souls with your rivals . . . or just steal the ones you need. Collect groups of Mass Murderers, Cannibals, or even Clerics . . . or build sets of the Seven Deadly Sins. Burn in Hell will keep you on your toes – can you see the sets that fit together for the most points? Can you steal a rival's key card before he can make a Circle?
Each card includes a great Greg Hyland caricature and a biography of the soul. You'll have a lot of fun reading (and arguing) about why each of these people was invited to the Permanent Pitchfork Party. And to rule in Hell, you must use strategy and cunning, because this game's not over until the last soul is snatched . . .
168 full-color cards plus rulesheet.
Stock #1420,
ISBN 1-55634-666-2.
$24.95.
GURPS Magic
Completely revised and updated for GURPS Fourth Edition, this full-color hardcover combines the spells from the Third Edition GURPS Magic and
GURPS Grimoire, plus dozens of all-new spells, for the ultimate tome of magic!
Within these pages, crackling with mystic energies, you'll find:
- The core magic system for GURPS, expanding on the material presented in the GURPS Basic Set: Characters . . . rules for learning magic, casting spells, enchanting magic items, and more!
- Complete alchemy rules . . . creating magical elixirs, using them, and even researching new ones . . . with an extensive list of known elixirs and their powers.
- Alternatives to the core magic system, including complete, updated rules for improvised magic and rune magic. There are also guidelines for the GM who wants to change how magic works in particular worlds in a multi-world campaign.
- Plus special material from the GURPS Magic Items series and GURPS Wizards.
This is a powerful book, indeed. Use it wisely.
256 pages. Hardback.
Stock #01-0101,
ISBN 1-55634-733-2.
$34.95.
Haven't had enough of that slaying goodness? The Slayers d20 Roleplaying Game offers a new sourcebook for the entire series in one volume, complete with full-color pictures and a nice solid hardcover binding to hit people with when your Dragon Slave spell fails.
July 14, 2004: We Came, We Saw, We Yelled "Arrrrrrr!"
I spent the weekend at the Puzzle Pirates party in San Francisco. Truly huge fun. Friday we cruised the Bay on an actual sailing vessel. Saturday morning and afternoon there was talk/argument/hint-sharing about the game . . . and Saturday night was parrrrrrrrrrrrty time.
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned here how much I was enjoying the game. Still true. And at the event I was impressed by how intelligent, and fun, and just plain NICE my fellow players turned out to be. You hear some bad things about the big online RPGs . . . how they're full of player-killers, griefers, uncommunicative level-grubbers, and so on. All I can say is . . . this is a different world, and I like it.
When I joined Puzzle Pirates, I wanted to get the regular player experience, figuring that some people would be unreasonably nice to Steve Jackson and others would whack me on general purposes. So I just entered as "Evilstevie" (grr, names have to be one word) and went rolling along. A couple of people busted me . . . but they did it in private mail. A few others suspected but didn't say anything till I showed up at the party. Now, though, I'm "out," and don't have to watch what I say around my crew. (And I'm in a GOOD crew. Any of ye who want to sail with the Cookie Pirates, and who value friendship and chat as much as pilin' up the loot, feel free to send me a /tell in-game, or check with our captain, Angie. OK, end of plug fer me crew.)
All in all, a fun, tiring weekend. My voice has almost come back (there was a Piratey Shouting contest. I split the win with Judith, who is also in me crew. Arrrr!). Random lessons learned included:
- Air travel is not getting any less inconvenient, intimidating, or unpleasant. But the folks at Southwest Airlines go many, many extra miles to help out their passengers. This is a big thanks from a passenger who appreciated that help.
- "Nelson's Blood," aka "Roll The Old Chariot Along," is a good chantey, and I sure wish I could get it unstuck from my head.
- Odwalla's "Superfood." Weird green drink, but good. Will have to buy some.
- The Argent Hotel in San Francisco (or, as we called it till we got tired of the joke, the Arrrrrrrrgent) also takes good care of its guests. And actually, we never got tired of the joke, and they didn't seem to get tired of having a lobby full of pirates.
- When rum is poured into a pina colada, it layers!
-- Evil Stevie
Warehouse 23 News: Dawning Of The Age Of Legends
Dawnforge is a setting from the epic age of a fantasy, back when enmities were new and the legends were still being made. Path of Legend takes fledgling heroes on their first steps to greatness, as they search for the answers to the secrets of magic itself.
July 13, 2004: It's Like Old Jersey, Only Newer
I'm leaving Wednesday to be a gaming guest at DexCon 7, in the wilds of Newark, New Jersey. I went to their convention last January (yes, January in Newark -- it was cold), and they were very hospitable and put on a fine show.
Their summer con is the flagship show, with many, many events and well over 1,000 people. Lots of live action gaming, but also computer and video gaming and anime and movies and a ton of roleplaying, card games, and boardgames. I will be running an introductory GURPS adventure featuring Fourth Edition rules and characters. Plus the Men in Black will be in force, running a disgustingly large number of our games.
If you're in the neighborhood, please drop by. I'd love to see you.
-- Scott Haring
Every proper adventuring party is out to collect themselves a good stock of booty. Declare your devotion to loot-collection along with Nodwick and his employers with the Show Us Your Chest T-Shirt.
July 12, 2004: So You Want a Cheap Computer Cluster . . .
In the never-ending quest for excessive computing power, the world's only (we hope) Furbeowulf Cluster uses other commonly available processors in parallel.
Warehouse 23 News: Kids Against Evil Rats
With Portable Adventures, you can mix and match card sets for quick and easy adventure play. Try Set 01: Lair of the Rat-King. Try Set 02: 8th Grade. Try them both together and see how well your hall monitor does against the Ratling Horde . . .
Battlefield Press' Sherwood d20 campaign setting, written by Wil Upchurch, is being playtested on Pyramid. This playtest just started and will last for several months, so there is plenty of time to make suggestions and corrections.
Pyramid subscribers should see the discussion groups for details. A list of current playtests can be found here.
Warehouse 23 News: We're Going To Need More Guns
More stuff for your heroes! Champions: Gadgets and Gear is a Hero System book of fun toys to use for blowing up (or saving) the world. And you'll need all the gear you can get, because Reality Storm throws you up against villains from both the Champions and Silver Age Sentinels in a reality-warping crossover!
July 10, 2004: Illuminated Site of the Week: Headlines The Onion Won't Touch
Hippies are congesting the ley lines in England. It turns out everything is twice as big as we thought. And just what is the most boring substance in the universe? John Fanzine has all the answers; it's just not entirely clear who's asking the questions. -- Submitted by Jason Arons
Re-Lite
While it would be nice to be perfect, it so rarely happens. GURPS Lite was no exception; there were a number of errors in the file we posted Thursday. Fortunately, it hadn't gone to the printer yet, so we were able to catch them in time to fix the printed copy as well as the PDF. If you're interested in the update, please go to the GURPS Lite page and download a new version.
Warehouse 23 News: Testify To The Horror
There's something out there. Ghosts. Slashers. Horrors. You're not sure where they came from. It doesn't make any sense. But there's a mystery to be solved, and you're trapped inside it. The Testimony of Jacob Hollow. A most disturbing little card game.
July 9, 2004: GURPS Lite Posted! Fourth Edition Chat Tonight! Andrew Goes Hoarse!
At 7 p.m. Central time, Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch and I will be in the Pyramid chat room to discuss GURPS Lite and other issues from recent rules leaks. (The Fourth Edition version of GURPS Lite is now available in PDF format; click the link to go to the web page and download it.)
(We will still not be discussing the full combat system . . . look for another chat later this month at which those rules will all, finally, be fair game. Figured we'd give you all a chance to digest GURPS Lite first.)
If you are a Pyramid subscriber, we look forward to seeing you there! If not, don't you think it's time you joined us?
-- Andrew Hackard, Managing Editor
When Zodon takes over the world, you know whose side you want to be on, right? (Yes, he's still in elementary school at ps238, but it pays to plan ahead.) Proclaim your allegiance and avoid the Death Robots with your Minion of Zodon T-Shirt. (No aptitude for independent thought is required to apply for this job.)
We have reduced the price of two recent boxed games: Illuminati: Crime Lords and Dork Tower. Both of these games will now list at $29.95.
Both these games have a lot of expensive components. Dork Tower in particular is the fanciest boardgame we've ever produced. We gave ourselves a standard markup, and the feedback from the people who bought them was that they’d gotten their money’s worth. But retailers told us that in the current economy a lot of people just couldn’t afford to try them. So we’re cutting Illuminati: Crime Lords by $5, and Dork Tower by $10.
That shoots the profit margin, but having more people playing them is better than leaving them on the shelf.
This also tells me “No more boardgames over $29.95 until the economy gets better, no matter how much stuff we put in them.”
Okay, so there's not a lot of actual violence involved. But that doesn't mean the competition isn't fast and furious in Battle of the Bands, a wacky little card game about building the "best" band you can.
July 7, 2004: Pre-Orders Open For GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition
The standard version, that is. If the deluxe edition was too rich for your blood . . . or if you don't plan to let anyone TOUCH your copy without gloves . . . you can pre-order the standard GURPS Basic Set now.
Well, we all enjoyed a long weekend (some longer than others), but the SJ Games offices are back open for business. Please let everyone catch up on their phone messages and e-mail (and, grrr, spam) . . . it may take us a day or two before we get back to you.
Hope everyone had a safe, fun, and relaxing holiday.
Warehouse 23 News: It's Good To Be A Gamer
And don't you know it. Make sure other people know it too. Women can show off their hobbies with the Gaming Goddess Crop Top, while anyone can go unsettle the neighbors with the very happy smiling Eye In Pyramid T-Shirt.
We celebrated Independence Day in proper style . . . pyromaniacally. On Saturday the 3rd we had an office party in honor of GURPS Fourth Edition going to press. Phil Reed hosted it at his country estate, out where there are no laws against fireworks. Guess how we spent the hour after nightfall? We started with sparklers and snaps and worked up to those shells that have a loooong fuse and a warning that says "Light and get away fast. WE MEAN IT, YOU FOOL!"
My own favorites were the Saturns, the sparkly noisy Killer Bees, and the one with the label that said "Shoots Glowing Balls And Reports." Which caused Andrew and I to say in unison, "I have shot glowing balls, SIR!"
And for the Fourth, a much smaller party went to a spot I know, strategically situated overlooking the city, and watched the municipal fireworks display sans crowds and noise. Took along a boom box, a John Phillips Sousa CD, and a picnic basket. Indeed, sometimes the old ways are best.
Hope everyone had a happy Fourth of July and avoided personal injury and property damage!
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Build A Universe, Blow It Up
Rifts: Megaverse Builder lets you in on the big picture behind the entire Rifts Megaverse. Once you've got the details straight, watch out for Naruni Wave 2, because some annoyed alien weapons merchants aren't too happy with your little corner of the Earth, and it's a bad idea to annoy people selling weapons . . .
July 4, 2004: Our Congressmen Are Soooo Smart.
About six months ago, our elected representatives here in the United States were congratulating themselves on their solution to the spam problem.
Meanwhile, back in the real world, anti-spam vendor Commtouch recently reported that the U.S. was responsible for 55.69% of all spam in June, and global spam has increased 42% since the "Yes! You CAN Spam!" law went into effect on January 1st. MessageLabs estimated that 76% of all e-mail during May was unsolicited comercial e-mail, and a survey by the Bank of Scotland reports that 1 in 10 small businesses in the UK is losing more than £10,000 per year to spam in lost productivity and filtering costs. (That sounds hauntingly familiar to a certain small business in the U.S.)
And most recently, UK technology news site The Register dubbed the U.S. part of the "Axis of Spam."
With results like these, we should encourage our government to address other problems - problems we really don't care if anyone ever solves . . .
Speaking of which, now might be a good time to tell your congressman that you will NOT appreciate it if he votes for the Yes! You CAN Spam! approach to spyware.
-- Giles Schildt
Warehouse 23 News: Barbarians Against Sorcery
There's never been a barbarian quite like Conan, and you can meet him again in the latest adaptation of the Conan setting to a roleplaying game. Conan the Roleplaying Game drops him into the d20 System this time around, while The Scrolls of Skelos expounds upon the mysteries of sorcerery within that setting.
NASA has posted a movie showing Titan's rotation.
Now that's freaking cool.
There will probably be more Cassini news over the next weeks, so stay tuned.
-- Andrew Hackard, Managing Editor
Warehouse 23 News: A Time For Every Purpose
It's rummy with a twist; this time, the cards are based on the months of the year, and everything from holidays to birthdays to leap years can change the way the game moves. Seasons is a lovely strategy card game with full decks for four different players.
July 2, 2004: Illuminated Site of the Week: The Black Plague Batted .500 Its Rookie Year
Hey, kids, got the summer blues? The CIA isn't the only one with a kids' page to keep you busy. The Centers for Disease Control have the full set of collectible infectious disease trading cards. Mix 'em, match 'em, trade 'em, recoil in abject horror from 'em. -- Suggested by Michael P. Owen
Warehouse 23 News: Warehouse 23 Top 10 Catchup
Check out Warehouse 23's top selling items for May and June at the Warehouse 23 Top 10 page.
Not long after you read this, we'll know whether Cassini made it through the ring plane and into orbit . . . Crossing our fingers!
Warehouse 23 News: Ready To Get Medieval?
Want a little more historical flavor in your fantasy games? The Medieval Player's Manual brings the Dark Ages to the d20 System with new magic and miraculous gifts to emulate the beliefs of the time, plus plenty of historical background, new classes, and everything else you need to step into the 1100s.
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