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Illuminated Site of the Week
Back in April, we posted a Iconic Lookalike Contest, in a brave attempt to find the parachronic agents filtering through our timeline. And now, we can finally reveal the Truth!
Dai Blackthorn is actually Timothy Heater, Iotha operates under the name Jay Ragan, Professor William Headley is known in our world as Phil Masters (the Hellboy connection should have been a tip-off), and Louis d'Antares uses the name "Matt Ragan." Unfortunately, C-31 seems to have devolved into a Lego construct owned by Tim Emrick.
As for Sora and Xing La, their aliases are still unknown. And maybe, for now, that's for the best....
(Thanks to everybody who played along, and we'll be contacting the winners shortly to verify addresses and such.)
Warehouse 23 News: It's Only A Plush Wound!
Monty Python. Plush. Hats. What more excuse do you really need? Are you going to make me try to justify things like the Tim the Enchanter Plush Hat and Plush Holy Hand Grenade? I didn't think so. Might as well take a look at the Plush Mini Black Knight and Plush Grim Reaper.
is only one of the songs on Tom Smith's new album "And They Say I've Got Talent." There are others. Including . . . hee, hee . . . "Talk Like A Pirate Day." The production version doesn't have my voice on it (which, I hasten to add, is a Good Thing for all concerned). But he did keep one of my ad-libs.
This one's in the running for Best Tom Smith Album Yet. Stevie LIKES it. You can buy it now on his site. Pay now, he sends you the mp3s immediately and in due course the CD comes in the mail. Not a bad deal!
I'm going now to listen to "Rock Me Amidala" again.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Teeny Tiny Giant Monster
For those who prefer their gigantic terrifying monsters somewhat miniaturized (possibly in order to destroy miniaturized cities), you can now get the most classic monster in more convenient dimensions with the Plush Mini Godzilla.
This is going to be one of those times when I just point to somebody else's blog. John Kovalic just got back from Ropecon in Finland, and wrote a great report. (Kovalic the cartoonist can WRITE, guys. Really well. He's a great storyteller, like a Dave Barry who draws his own pictures and doesn't say "booger" quite as often.) Go read his con writeup. NOW.
I was at Ropecon a few years ago and had a fantastic time. And clearly it's only gotten bigger and better. I look at the pictures and go "Yeah, I remember that . . . Right, that's their big panel room . . . Ooo, he got to see cannon. I didn't see any cannon."
Apparently they have a new tradition for their sauna . . . they weren't doing that when I was there . . . if you don't know what I mean, you haven't read his story yet! So go do that.
Yep, the Finns know how to game, and they know how to have a good time.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: More Positive Apparel
Fans of Something Positive have already seen these, but let's share the love with the world and let other people know about the wonders of these shirts. The Lock Baby Doll will keep your chest safe, and the Brighter Blessed T-Shirt lets you strut your superiority. We don't really want to know what you do with the Bukkake Boxers.
This is a bit embarrassing. The editorial staff has been fielding these "How come my store can't get any GURPS Basic Sets yet?" questions, and replying "No idea. They've all shipped to the distributors."
I am now advised by our Las Vegas business office that just before Ross left on his much-deserved post-GenCon vacation, he gave the distributors the word "Do not ship this out until August 31st." This was to make SURE that all the distributors got to ship the same day . . . this kind of thing is VERY important to them on a major product.
Except . . . Austin didn't get the word. So this info is only now being posted for you, the fans. SORRY about that.
-- Steve Jackson
The fans of Dork Tower need never worry about going about unclothed, for there will always be appropriately themed T-shirts for them to wear. Pump iron at Igor's Gym, find a meal with Will Game for Food, or stand out in your tie-dye Dorkstock T-Shirt.
August 27, 2004: Illuminated Site of the Week: Can You Believe This Place?
Of course not. It is, after all, Alex Boese's Museum of Hoaxes. If you could trust one thing in here, it wouldn't be worth the price of admission. Hoaxes old and new are listed throughout the site, from the spaghetti crops to the critiques of David Manning. Find out what they're lying to you about now, or see how you stack up against the gullible rubes of decades past. -- Suggested by WM
Warehouse 23 News: Igor, Throw Open All The Stops!
Ever needed atmospheric music for your game, and found that your old "101 Spooky Sound Effects" CD just wasn't cutting it anymore? Midnight Syndicate offers CDs full of instrumental pieces for the creepy, epic, or gothic as needed. Try Born of the Night, Realm of Shadows, Gates of Delirium, and Vampyre.
August 26, 2004: The Niftiness Will Proceed . . .
But without SJ Games, for the moment. The "Get Nifty" game, based on one of my very favorite webcomics, is off our schedule.
How come? Well, as development proceeded, we continued to find situations where the game worked pretty much the way the designer wanted . . . and his testers liked the game . . . but our own testers kept suggesting significant changes. We went back and forth, because we all wanted to do this project! And in the end, the conclusion was that neither of us wanted to force big changes on the other party, and making halfway changes would please nobody. This is NOT to say "We don't like it." This is to say "Our fans expect certain things from a SJ Games product, and this is not the year to go out on a limb." So we're staying friends and letting the project proceed without SJ Games.
Rob Balder (go now and marvel at his comic at partiallyclips.com), creator of Get Nifty! , intends to proceed with the project, and he has my blessing and all the notes and comments we made during our development process, for whatever use he may put them to. I'm rooting for him.
And Pete and I DO want to do a game together someday. It just won't be this one.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Way Back In The 1990s
Knights of the Dinner Table: Tales From the Vault #1 collects the classic KoDT strips from its earliest appearances in magazines, back when it was filler and before it became a rampaging behemoth of gaming magazine power.
MIB Steve Donohue took some of our games to his wife Kristie's second/third-grade class in a school outside Detroit. Some of the kids wrote us thank you notes (and hurray to them!). Here are some staff favorites. (We've done some editing for spelling and punctuation.)
From Dakota:
Last Friday was Fun Friday in our classroom. We got to play a lot of your games. X-Bugs is my favorite. I think you should have all of the pieces as the biggest one on there!
From Lauren:
Last Fun Friday in our classroom we got to play a lot of your games. In Battle Cattle could you make a pink cow? And with X-Bugs could you make a game like X-Bugs but could it be called X-Pets with a dog vs. a cat and boys vs. girl. And to make a game all about pets and their people.
From Kayla (attention John Nephew!!):
Last Friday was my classroom's Fun Friday. We got to play a lot of your games. My favorite game was Once Upon a Time. It was the best game I ever played. (Steve says, "We told them you didn't make it, but they wouldn't believe us.")
And our absolute favorite, from future game designer Brandon:
Your games are fun. Two of your good ones were Battle Cattle and Car Wars. But they're the same. I suggest you change them around and make an advanced version. And [for] X-Bugs make U.S.A. vs. Iraq and make them battle! E-mail me [!!!] at [fnord] and mail those games in the mail so I can try them at [fnord].
These are definitely going on the bulletin board. Our thanks to Steve and Kristie, and to Bill Korsak who helped them out.
Warehouse 23 News: At The Crossroads Of The Lower Planes
A twilight world, where a black sun casts even darker shadows through the forests of pale deadwood trees. Demon hunters and soul traders mingle with denizens of the lower planes. Midnight Realm takes Talislanta to a darker place than before.
All of the SJ Games crew who attended GenCon Indy have returned home, safe and sound. Thanks to everyone who came by to look at the GURPS Basic Set (either version), or just to say hi -- it was appreciated. Major thanks to Jerry and the Adventure Retail gang, who once again made hours of booth work into free entertainment, rather than a chore.
Obviously, we've got a lot of e-mail and forum posts to catch up on, and (especially for the latter) we may not be our usual chattery selves for a couple of days while we clear the backlog. We appreciate your continuing patience.
(Yes, sales were good. Very good. "Looks like the GURPS Basic Set Deluxe was a pretty smart move" good.)
-- Andrew Hackard, Managing Editor
Warehouse 23 News: Lurking In The Dark
Every proper classic fantasy game, if it ever gets out of the dungeon and into a city, brings up the Thieves' Guild. City Quarters: Thieves' Quarter gives you a whole section of the city to work with, and all sorts of nefarious inhabitants to torment your players with.
August 23, 2004: Illuminated Site of the Week: Let's Hope Raptors Are Still In The Talking Stage
Cloning your beloved Fido is a bit selfish, don't you think? Let's start with something that will be of immeasurable benefit to science and the world at large: small, fat birds. Pete & Dave's Dodo Emporium has legs . . . and a stubby beak, too. -- Suggested by WM
The new hardcover printing probably isn't sturdy enough to provide you with armor against weapons fire, but with Classic BattleTech: Master Rules, every bit of protection helps. Expand your game further with the Technical Readout: 3057 Revised, or take to the skies again in AeroTech 2.
We're going to start the playtests of GURPS Ultra-Tech and GURPS Banestorm within a few days, with GURPS Bestiary to follow shortly thereafter. These playtests will take place on private mailing lists, but you still must be a Pyramid or JTAS subscriber to take part. If you'd like to playtest these books, now's your chance; subscribe to Pyramid or JTAS today!
-- Andrew Hackard, Managing Editor
Warehouse 23 News: More Bang For Your Buck
Those shadowruns aren't half as much fun if you're outgunned, are they? Fortunately, for every runner who's ever wanted a hefty chunk of firepower to haul along, there's the Cannon Companion, full of things that go swish, thwack, bang, and BOOM.
The following products are shipping to distributors right now and should be on the shelves of your local game store in the very near future. And we couldn't be prouder.
GURPS Basic Set: Characters
With GURPS, you can be anyone you want -- an elf hero fighting
for the forces of good, a shadowy femme fatale on a deep-cover
mission, a futuristic swashbuckler carving up foes with a force sword
in his hand and a beautiful woman by his side . . . or literally
anything else! GURPS has been the premiere universal
roleplaying game for almost two decades. The new Fourth Edition makes
it even better!
GURPS Basic Set: Characters combines information from the
Third Edition GURPS Basic Set
and GURPS Compendium I, plus hundreds of new and
updated rules! This 336-page, full-color hardcover contains
everything you need to create and play a GURPS
Fourth Edition character.
336 pages. Hardback.
Stock #01-0001,
ISBN 1-55634-729-4.
$39.95.
GURPS Basic Set: Campaigns
With GURPS, you can be anyone you want -- an elf hero fighting
for the forces of good, a shadowy femme fatale on a deep-cover
mission, a futuristic swashbuckler carving up foes with a force sword
in his hand and a beautiful woman by his side . . . or literally
anything else! GURPS has been the premiere universal
roleplaying game for almost two decades. The new Fourth Edition makes
it even better!
GURPS Basic Set: Campaigns combines information from the
Third Edition GURPS Basic Set
and GURPS Compendium II -- plus our new core
setting, with infinite possibilities for timeline-hopping adventure!
(You don't have to play in the core setting -- there isn't
some game-altering metaplot -- but it's there if you want it.) This
240-page, full-color hardcover contains everything a GM needs
to create and run a GURPS Fourth Edition campaign.
240 pages. Hardback.
Stock #01-0002,
ISBN 1-55634-730-8.
$34.95.
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 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.
Nobles contains:
- A close-up look at the most powerful people in the
GURPS
Traveller universe, with complete GURPS stats for
13 major characters - including Emperor Strephon and Empress Iolanthe
- and capsule biographies of many others.
- Deck plans for the Wanderer-class yacht, the
Midas-class courier, and the Condor-class racing yacht
- all new starships. Plus floor plans of mansions and private getaways.
- Details on life in the Imperial Palace . . . wealth, power, danger,
and intrigue. If your Traveller campaign aims for real
power, here's where it will climax.
144 pages.
Stock #6624,
ISBN 1-55634-432-5.
$26.95.
GURPS Lite
GURPS Lite is a 32-page distillation of the basic
GURPS rules. It covers the essentials of character creation,
combat, success rolls, magic, adventuring, and game mastering for
GURPS Fourth Edition.
The purpose of GURPS Lite is to help GMs bring new
players into the game, without frightening them with the full
GURPS Basic
Set and a stack of worldbooks! With GURPS Lite, you
can show your players just how simple GURPS really is.
We'll have printed copies of GURPS Lite available at
your local game store and in Warehouse 23 -- and it's included in the
GURPS GM's Screen -- or you can download a FREE electronic version from
e23.
You can download GURPS Lite for the Third Edition here.
32 pages.
Stock #01-0004,
$FREE.
It's just not a proper d20 System fantasy adventure without a good dose of evil, preferably the ancient sort. Arcanis: In the Shadow of the Devil doesn't disappoint in this regard, as it contains betrayal, heresy, murder, and a bonus antediluvian menace!
The GURPS Update PDF has been posted. This is a character conversion document; it shouldn't be confused with the book of the same title that allowed Second Edition players to "patch" their game into Third Edition. The changes required for GURPS Fourth Edition are too sweeping to allow for such a book. A copy of GURPS Update will also be included in the new Fourth Edition GURPS GM's Screen, coming in September 2004.
If you're reading this from Gen Con, you'll want to stop by the Adventure Retail booth and ask about GURPS demonstrations. The Men In Black have arranged to run games near the booth where they'll be easy to find. Don't miss your first chance to see the Fourth Edition in action!
Warehouse 23 News: Across The Megaverse
More mega-powerful O.C.C.s, more places explored, more adventures and fiction for all the places in the megaverse. As always, Palladium is ready to give you even more with The Rifter #26 and The Rifter #27.
The Warehouse 23 staff are our heroes this week. They've been dealing with a huge stack of GURPS Deluxe Editions, getting them safely packaged up and shipped out.
This is also the first day of GenCon. The new books are there, both the Deluxe Edition and the regular Fourth Edition. We're represented by Jerry Corrick's Adventure Retail booth . . . go by, say hi to Jerry and his crew, see our pretty books!
-- Steve Jackson
Torment your players and learn how to properly spell xxyth with Violet Dawn: Denizens of Avadnu, a tome of horrible creatures eager to leap upon unsuspecting PCs and rip them to shreds. As always, there's a d20 System supplement to help you in this noble goal.
In 1985, Steve Jackson Games started the Illuminati BBS, a one-line bulletin board running on an Apple II, to talk to the gamers and let them talk back. Some interesting things happened over the years, but our online presence has continued to grow.
As of now, we've adopted the newest form of "bulletin board" technology. We've got a web forum. It's free; you're invited to join. You can sign up right now. There are a variety of discussion areas, and we can add more if we need to. We'll see what develops!
Note: Someday . . . maybe soon . . . we're going to reorganize things here so that every user of our online services . . . Pyramid, Warehouse 23, e23, the forums, those hypothetical online games . . . has a single account, with a single username and password. Therefore, if you happen to be a Pyramid or JTAS subscriber, using the same login name for the forums just may avoid a small problem later.
Anyway: Here are the the forums. We think they'll be a Good Thing. Thanks to Kira for the graphics and to Sage for installing and tweaking the code!
-- Steve Jackson
It's not your enemies you need to worry about. It's yourself, and who you are when you aren't yourself. Races of Legend: Slaves of the Moon explores lycanthropes, from the lowly wererat to the fearsome weretiger, for the d20 System. You're not afraid of the moon, are you?
August 17, 2004: GURPS Basic Set Deluxe Is Shipping!
The GURPS Basic Set Deluxe arrived just before noon yesterday and we immediately started processing Warehouse 23 orders and packing boxes. (Distributor orders will go out in a few days . . . or you can grab a copy at GenCon this weekend, if you're quick.) Due to the high number of orders for this product, getting all the orders shipped is going to take a few days.
Please note that we are not accepting new orders for Deluxe at this time, even if the order page implies that we are (there's a programming fluke at work here). In the event that any copies are left over after preorders are completely processed, we will make an announcement and open orders at that time.
-- Michelle Barrett
Steve Jackson Games announces the following releases for December, 2004:
SPANC
SPANC Them All!
Life is good when you're a Space Pirate Amazon Ninja Catgirl. Enjoy a life of larceny and mayhem as you embark on one Caper after another. Defeat every challenge the galaxy throws at you, from the Friendly Guard Puppies all the way to the Fiendish Death Trap. Pick up Toys (and the occasional Poolboy), grab more Fame than anyone else, and watch your tail . . . because the other catgirls want what you've got!
Lovingly illustrated by Phil Foglio, SPANC is a fast-paced card game of space pirates, amazons, ninjas, and catgirls. All at once.
108 full-color oversized cards, counters, rulesheet, and dice in a 6" x 9" box.
Stock #1390,
ISBN 1-55634-738-3.
$24.95.
GURPS Infinite Worlds
Infinite Worlds . . . Infinite Adventure!
The good news is, there are other Earths. Maybe an infinite number. The bad news is, somebody out there doesn't like us.
The shuttles of Infinity Unlimited jump between parallel Earths, seeking adventure, profit, knowledge, and even entertainment. But a parallel called Centrum has also developed the technology to hop between the worlds . . . and they want to rule them all. The Infinity Patrol must deal with their ruthless rivals, as well as with world-jumping criminals, and with the possibility that the secret of dimension travel might escape to some of the really nasty alternate worlds like Reich-5.
Welcome to the core setting of GURPS Fourth Edition! Every other GURPS setting is on one of the Infinite Worlds timelines . . . whether they know it or not! GMs can use this to create a whole meta-campaign, or just as an excuse to move characters between worlds when the plot requires it.
Compiled by Kenneth Hite, the master of alternate histories, GURPS Infinite Worlds combines and updates material from GURPS Time Travel, GURPS Alternate Earths, and GURPS Alternate Earths 2 into one full-color hardcover volume, and gives dozens of new worlds to explore as well!
This is the complete genre book on both alternative-world gaming and time travel. It offers detailed advice on the unique challenges of running this kind of campaign, and on designing and playing characters who regularly cross between setting. It also provides a wide variety of suitable threats and hazards -- from evil cross-time Nazis and cosmic conspiracies to "ordinary" monsters and disasters. And it gives guidelines for building alternate worlds from the perspectives
of the setting, the story, and the rules.
Whether you're playing accidental travelers or the hardened troops of the Infinity Patrol, this book is your gateway to adventure. Infinite adventure.
240 pages. Hardback.
Stock #01-2001,
ISBN 1-55634-734-0.
$34.95.
With adventures, new rules, and articles from an all-star team of writers, Annual #1 comes smashing through the wall to present you with 128 pages of super-powered goodness for your Mutants & Masterminds game.
A couple of months back, we set up a calendar feed listing con appearances and other cool dates. Then we suffered an unfortunate lapse in maintenance. That has been fixed, and we just updated a number of entries. You should go check it out -- that link goes to a Web-viewable page, or you can subscribe to the URL www.icalx.com/public/sjgames/Steve_Jackson_Games.ics with your .ics-compatible calendar program. (We should note that apparently the Web-based calendar is buggy -- it's not showing our weekly Pyramid issue, for instance -- so we recommend using a separate calendar program.)
And if you see a cool event that you think we should include, let us know!
-- Andrew Hackard, Managing Editor
Warehouse 23 News: Things That Go Boom In The Night
Dark, spooky, and superpowered. Doc Midnight is looking for fresh blood in his fight against evil. Want to join? Check out Nocturnals: A Midnight Companion, a Mutants & Masterminds setting full of secret societies, creepy superpowers, and more hauntings and curses than you can shake a finger bone at.
Argh, what a world. Shared pain, says Spider Robinson, is lessened, so prepare to share some of mine. Stop reading now if you don't want to hear me grump and moan.
That Book Is Inappropriate, Sir
"Security" hit a new low earlier this week, but maybe sanity will win out . . . and maybe the officious doofus will get fired. Read Greg Costikyan's blog for some great editorializing and follow-up, and follow the link there . . . and applaud the gamer who stood up for his rights. "ACLU on speed-dial," forsooth.
SURE We Won't Use Your Phone Number!
Last time my car needed work, the Toyota place gave me a loaner . . . but it wasn't theirs; it was from the Enterprise rental location nearby. Enterprise wanted my phone number. I balked; I don't want spam calls. "Oh, but we have to have it in case of emergencies." Well, all right, I am driving off in their car.
Well, guess who was interrupted by a dinnertime phone call the very next week, wanting to "survey my satisfaction" ? Needless to say, they got an earful. So did the manager of the Enterprise site, who'd assured me my number wouldn't be used. So did the Toyota place. Never again will I use Enterprise, and if you don't either, good!
And If We Find Any Customer Service Around Here We'll Kill It
I do more eBay buying than is good for me. Usually I pay with PayPal. Sometimes, though, I bid on things whose sellers don't accept PayPal, even though it's less convenient . . . because a lot of buyers won't even LOOK at non-PayPal offerings, so I can get a good deal.
So I have now had my first experience with Western Union's "BidPay" service, which takes your credit card online and mails a money order. Never again, I hope. I won't burden you with the whole story, but:
- The process is far more time-consuming than PayPal;
- It is clearly sensitive to errors, but I don't know if these are my errors or theirs, because . . .
- my first two orders were rejected at the same time, one with an incomprehensible form letter and the other with no feedback at all, and . . .
- repeated attempts to get clarification resulted in FOUR successive instances of the EXACT SAME form letter.
That's not customer service. That's an automated process set up to wear your customers down without giving them a chance to bother you with their problems. Which is a popular trend these days, but when I spot it, I take my business elsewhere.
-- Steve Jackson
Fiery Dragon Productions brings two new wargames to the table in snappy little tins with their Counter Strike Wargame line. Arriba Espaņa! throws you into the thick of the Spanish Civil War, while Autumn Mist sends you to that classic conflict, the Battle of the Bulge.
August 13, 2004: Illuminated Site of the Week: How Many People Does It Take To Fake A Sighting These Days?
It's not enough to keep us in the dark about Nessie. Now we have to contend with people "disappearing" innocent victims just to hide conspiracies about documentaries about movies. Maybe The Truth About Loch Ness really does have the scoop on everyone's favorite plesiosaur, but the international cover-up is losing face with all these cross-plots. -- Suggested by Marcus E. Polk
High fantasy doesn't just come to the Hero System, but sets up residence with the new campaign setting, The Turakian Age. Of course, it wouldn't be high fantasy without epic combat, which is exactly why you'll want Fantasy Hero Battlegrounds to rampage through.
So today I had the pleasure of buying Andrew Hackard a margarita to celebrate two Good Things.
(1) Yesterday he finished editing on a project from . . . not from Hell, that's too mild. From the place where mommy demons tell little demons they'll go if they're bad. Now, of course, it's MY turn to look at it, but we're not thinking about that, you hear me, we're NOT thinking about it.
(2) We got samples of the GURPS Deluxe Edition books today. And oooh, they are pretty. (Eventually those will be auctioned as Copy #1.) We have already seen a sample slipcase, and it's nice, and the books in the slipcase are so heavy that you have to think "doorstop," and anybody who would use something this pretty for a doorstop is a Philistine.
-- Steve Jackson
PS - Yes, of course you want photos. Soon. The thing is, we have seen a sample slipcase with a mockup cover, and we have seen a real printed cover, but we haven't actually gotten a final version of the slipcase.
The year is 1946, but World War II is far from over. Take to the skies in the Luftwaffe 1946 DVD, the official animated release for Ted Nomura's best-selling alternative history war series.
August 11, 2004: Job Starts Immediately. Applicant Must Supply Own Funny.
England is looking for a court jester. No word on benefits, salary, or promotion possibilities.
Warehouse 23 News: Vacationing In Europe
Up for an idyllic visit to the mythic Europe of Ars Magica? Wander over to the misty palace in Cause and Cure, where there's not so much difference between magus and grog as you might think. Then take a trip to another part of the continent, and join a tribunal to judge the The Fallen Fane.
Thanks to Kira for helping me with a much-needed cleanup and redesign of my home page. She even did magic to the dinosaur photo so it's sharper and more contrasty. Rah! (Note that by her standards this is a very quickie and ordinary design. All that I asked her for was legibility. Look at the SJ Games home page for one that she took some time on!)
Fair's fair, so here's a plug for Kira: if you need a web hosting service that is CGI-friendly and gives personal attention to its clients, check out her cgi101.com.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Stalwart Warriors and Mystic Mages
Mongoose Publishing continues to expand their support for the Babylon 5 roleplaying game with two new sourcebooks for the setting. Check out the aggressive and honorable Narn, or explore the mysteries of the Techno-Mages.
The World Science Fiction Convention is in Boston this year . . . no doubt it's going to be a good one . . . and I've got a membership. But for some reason I just don't want to go. Or perhaps it's that I really like the idea of taking a week off and STAYING HOME, which is a thing that I wist about the way some people wist about going on trips.
So I've got a membership to sell. First come, first served - drop me a line. They seem to be going for $200 now; I'll sell mine for $150.
And for those who are going and who I won't be seeing . . . have fun, darn it.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Magic On The Streets
This is the world before magic went commercial, before the slingers all signed up with the corporations for a sweet record deal, back when it was spells on the street and the wrong words could get you dead. Wyrd Is Bond.
My latest article in Games Quarterly contains some suggestions for convention organizers. I selfishly hope these suggestions will occasionally be taken. The article can be seen as the last two pages of this PDF.
And while we're pointing to convention articles, here's a much lengthier, and very useful, resource created by Eric S. Raymond: Conventions at Light Speed.
-- Steve Jackson
Uresia, the high-fantasy setting of dead gods and endless ambition, comes to the d20 System with the new release of the setting as Big Eyes, Small Mouth d20: Uresia - Grave of Heaven.
Are you one of those gamers who gets everything first? Does your obsession with all things GURPS know no limitations? Well, have we got an auction for you . . .
On our old friend eBay, we're auctioning off three prepress printouts of GURPS Fourth Edition. These are the loose pages we printed here in the office to check for art holes, double zeros, and mis-typings. They are black and white, the art doesn't look nearly as good as it will, and a few pages may be missing (iconic characters or blank forms, for instance). What it does have is all of the rules text -- the chapters on psionics, definitions of meta-traits, every advantage with a changed cost, everything.
The auction is set to end on Tuesday, August 10. If you figure five days for shipping (although expedited shipping is available), and you'll have it in your hands before GenCon!
Three lucky bidders will be able to answer all your GURPS Fourth Edition rules questions before everyone else. Or, if you win, YOU'LL be the one getting the questions. It's up to you whether you answer . . .
Warehouse 23 News: Across The Continent In 80 Trains
When you're one of the idle rich, you have nothing better to do than make ridiculous bets on improbable subjects. Like figuring out who can visit the most cities in North America in 7 days, using only trains. Pick up your Ticket to Ride in the board game of cross-country train adventure.
August 6, 2004: Illuminated Site of the Week: Canaveral's Gonna Need A Bigger Parking Lot
To hear UFORC tell it, we should be shoulder-deep in BEMs. See the extensive documentation, Biblical references, and photo opportunities. -- Suggested by CJ Montgomery
Coming up with an uber-cool PC concept for Feng Shui isn't hard at all; figuring out how to make all the players' uber-cool PCs fit together, well, that can be a bit harder. Friends of the Dragon shows you how, complete with new Group Schticks.
First Flash-game effort from a new studio . . . heavy on the atmosphere. Bookmark this one and dig it out next Halloween . . .
You might overlook the little cross-and-dots glyph on one side of the play area. Click it for music!
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Proactive Respiration
The alarm went off, the space station is losing air, and all six astronauts are making a run for the escape pod. Problem is, there's only two seats. In the new full-color Sucking Vacuum Ultimate Edition, you'd better make it to that escape pod before anyone else does, or . . . well, air's more of a luxury than a necessity, right?
So I finally got around to watching Episode 2 night before last. It was just as lame as anticipated. Lovely special effects, a couple of good battle scenes, nonsense plot, wooden line-reading, failures in continuity . . . Arf, arf. Do I think it was better than Ep 1? Well, at least there were no midichlorians. But this one had the Great Jedi Whining Contest. Wow, hard call. Somebody needs to create the Good Parts Cut for Episode 2 . . . it'll be about 20 minutes long.
If you love every Star Wars film and think my criticisms are petty and unfair, then DO NOT look here and do NOT click on "Darkside Switch." You won't laugh.
-- Steve Jackson
Everyone has an agenda, but poor little planet Earth is the one who suffers when agendas collide. Are you going to claw your way to the top and grab what resources you can, or work with others to keep the environment in good condition? Terra is a card game about ecology, economy, and compromise.
August 3, 2004: I Hope This Doesn't Mean Anything
When I dropped by the office yesterday afternoon on the way to Houston, there were four huge black buzzards sitting on the table on our back porch.
Probably just enjoying the shade.
I keep telling myself that.
-- Steve Jackson
Do a little swashbuckling between the stars with the Big Eyes, Small Mouth genre book, Space Fantasy. Fight villains on a galactic level, or just plunder the decaying planets of an ancient empire, and look stylish with your force sword and blaster.
August 2, 2004: Houston, Houston, Do You Read?
I drove to Houston today for evil purposes that are not available at your clearance. Lovely drive. Blue sky (okay, it rained a bit), green live oaks that shaded into green pines, stupid I-10 traffic that blinks its lights from behind if you don't get bumper to bumper with the car in front at 75 mph.
Made an unplanned stop at the Midway Water Gardens and bought pretty plants.
I will be out of Austin for a few days. If you need me, you can still send e-mail; expect delays in responses, as I may not entirely be on this planet.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Warehouse 23 Top 10
Check out Warehouse 23's top selling items for July at the Warehouse 23 Top 10 page.
The one and only guest artist for Munchkin Blender is Aeire, creator of Queen of Wands. The Munchkin Blender set includes the credit very prominently. And GETS THE URL WRONG. Aieeee. This would be completely the fault of the guy who wrote that copy, which is to say ME. Whimper. Apologies.
That should be www.queenofwands.net, not .com. If you don't have Blender yet, save yourself some time, click on the link and look at the comic NOW, and leave me to my embarrassment.
Fortunately it's on the card list, which is the easiest component to fix. Thanks for small blessings.
-- Steve "Too Dumb To Be Let Out Alone" Jackson
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