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Illuminated Site of the Week
Jim Baen - yes, THAT Baen, of Baen Books - died June 28 of complications from a stroke. David Drake, at Baen's own request, had written an obituary which covers, at least in broad strokes, the great things that Baen did for the field. It boils down to: He spent his long career making it possible for authors to write. He will be missed.
Warehouse 23 News: Some Things Just Speak For Themselves
B-Movie Card Games: Berserker Halflings from the Dungeon of Dragons. Could there be a cooler name for a card game? The world may never know.
When writing up his character sheet, our new Warehouse 23 Troubleshooter provided this character background:
Nicholas Vacek was born and raised in rural Minnesota. Due to GM disfavor, he was cursed with below-average Strength and Health scores. But fortunately, thanks in part to a Mathematics Talent advantage, he was able to find his niche and succeed at the adventure of life.
His quirks include a strong enjoyment for playing and modifying games, particularly Magic, GURPS, Settlers of Catan, and Stellar Conquest. He also enjoys watching thoughtful movies and reading science fiction novels. Nicholas spent 43 points in technical skills when he decided to change classes and began working as a Troubleshooter.
Warehouse 23 News: Middle-Aged Long-Eared Ronin Rabbit
Stan Sakai's classic tale of adventure in a fantastic, furry, feudal Japan has been transformed into an equally awesome RPG by Sanguine Productions. The Usagi Yojimbo RPG: Autumn Moon Edition has everything you could ever want from an RPG: furries, samurai, and polyhedral dice.
June 28, 2006: GURPS High-Tech Lead Playtester Needed!
GURPS High-Tech is the GURPS Fourth Edition guide to TL5-8 equipment, by Shawn Fisher and Hans-Christian Vortisch. It contains entire chapters on survival equipment, body armor, medicine, and firearms (and how to use them), plus a short selection of vehicles for adventurers. The Third Edition treatment of the subject was inspirational, but this isn't a revision -- it's a new book. For instance, a far larger fraction of the work is dedicated to the hundreds of important technological gadgets that aren't weapons. Of course, there are still many "modern" weapons -- small and large -- as well as related equipment and detailed rules on how to use all those guns (complete with new perks, techniques, and a Gun Fu template!). Another important difference is a total restructuring to provide a catalog organized by use rather than by tech level. High-Tech should be indispensible for all campaign types set at TL5-8.
We will conduct the High-Tech playtest on a closed mailing list between July 24 and September 1, 2006, and we'll need a lead playtester to help us manage it. Only Pyramid subscribers are eligible to apply. Interested parties should write to Sean Punch by no later than June 30, 2006. The subject line must read "[HT] Lead Playtester" or the application won't be accepted. Applications should be brief: name, e-mail address, Pyramid user ID, a short sentence on your experience with GURPS, and an equally brief sentence why you think you would be a good lead playtester. Extensive past playtesting experience (at least three playtests) is a must, but the ability to follow these instructions to the letter will also influence our decision.
-- Sean Punch
Warehouse 23 News: It's Big, It's Cold, And We Wrote A Book About It
GURPS Space is your definitive guide to getting your GURPS players out into the final frontier, cruising them around the solar system for a bit, and then seeing how they react to explosive decompression. Giant black obelisk sold separately.
A couple of things flew off to the printer last week. For those keeping score at home, here's the details:
GURPS Bio-Tech
The Future is Alive
"Who needs chrome, pal? Meat is where it's at now. Mother Nature always did it best – she just needed a little help. Get down to the black clinic, old-timer, and you can be 15 again. That is, if you still want to be human at all."
It's the technology of the posthuman age: biotech! Upgrade your old body with steroids and smart drugs, transplants, and viral nano . . . or just get a new one. Maybe you don't think being human is so great? Then improve on nature with eugenics and gene-fixing. Or just go parahuman: if you love cats, become one! The technology's changing fast, but you'll have lots of time to get used to it – death is only a temporary inconvenience with cryonics and immortality drugs. And who needs silicon and steel? Vatbrain biocomputers are where it's really at!
But it's not just about the future. GURPS Bio-Tech includes a full range of 19th, 20th, and 21st-century medical equipment, from early vaccines to surgical robots, along with game stats for the world's most deadly diseases.
GURPS Bio-Tech also includes a complete set of character templates for biotech professions, rules for biotech magic, and two original campaign settings: an alternate Earth ruled by a clone of Alexander the Great, and a a living starship on its way to colonize an alien world!
Say goodbye to your old body. Have you upgraded your genetics this year?
This is the second edition of GURPS Bio-Tech. It has been revised to the GURPS Fourth Edition rules and expanded to cover medicine, drugs, magic, and new technologies. Some entries were introduced in GURPS Space, GURPS Robots, and the Transhuman Space series.
240 pages. Hardback.
Stock #01-0103,
ISBN 1-55634-752-9.
$34.95.
GURPS Magic
(Reprint)
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, Third Edition, Revised . . . 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.
240 pages. Hardback.
Stock #01-0101,
ISBN 1-55634-733-2.
$34.95.
GURPS Fantasy
(Reprint)
Create a world that could never be! GURPS Fantasy is the complete toolkit to let you build a campaign of heroic deeds and wondrous magic. It discusses the genre in depth -- with all its subgenres and inspirations (myth, novels, movies, etc.) -- allowing you to handle any
kind of fantasy.
GURPS Fantasy gives detailed, concrete advice for assembling fantasy settings -- from the basics of the landscape itself, through its inhabitants and cultures, to the details of believable histories and politics. It also examines the nature of supernatural forces, and discusses the impact of wizards, monsters, and gods. And, of course, it looks at the many different ways that magic and users of magic can work in a fantasy world.
And, perhaps most importantly, it advises GMs and players alike on the kinds of characters appropriate to fantasy -- including ordinary folks, people with fantastic powers, and nonhumans.
Whether your model is Tolkien, Jordan, or Leiber, this book will let create a town, a country, or an entire world. Like all Fourth Edition books, it's a full-color hardcover.
(This is not an update of the Yrth setting presented in the old
GURPS Fantasy. We gave that world its own book, GURPS Banestorm.)
240 pages. Hardback.
Stock #01-1001,
ISBN 1-55634-519-4.
$34.95.
Warehouse 23 News: The Best And The Blightest
Like most places, the world of Conan has its ups and downs. Hyboria's Finest covers mosts of the ups, while Hyboria's Fallen covers the downs. Or, in the case of the temptress class, uncovers the downs.
The Origins International Games Expo is June 28th through July 2nd -- aka this week. Eek! Where did the time go?
Ross and I will be there, riding the wave of showmanship that is the Adventure Retail booth, your "one-stop-shopping" location for Atlas Games, Margaret Weis Productions, Dork Storm Press, Eden Studios, and more plush Mythos creatures than you can shake your sanity at.
And Steve Jackson Games, of course.
We'll be stationed at Booth 211; just follow the sounds of the carnival barker -- that's Jerry. Stop by to fill out your GURPS and Munchkin collections, and see the Exact Change Dance.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: Eleven Kingdoms, Eight Dice, One RPG
And a whole slew of adventures. The Deryni Adventure Game is based on that magically-active, mixed-up version of medieval Europe made popular by author Katherine Kurtz. Deryni Dice are also available for those of you that are tired of gouging little plusses and minuses into your six-siders.
June 25, 2006: Lite Across The Language Barrier
In 1951, the International Auxiliary Language Association released Interlingua as an international language. In 1998, we released a 32-page distillation of the Generic Univeral Roleplaying System, known as GURPS Lite.
Now, in 2006, we bring the two forces together to spread gaming across the language barrier -- GURPS Lite Interlingua edition! Thanks to Shanya Almafeta for the translation. Check it out now, free, from e23.
Bon joco!
-- Paul Chapman
Gesundheit. If you've ever wondered what Shadows do in their spare time or how Vorlons use the bathroom in that humongoid encounter suit, then Babylon 5: Darkness & Light - The Vorlon & Shadow Fact Book will not disappoint. GMs of the world, tremble as Shadows and Vorlons are given rules for use as player characters!
As I worked through the mail that had collected while I was Down Under, I came to the June issue of Comics & Games Retailer. Woot! Its retailer poll shows GURPS in a solid third place for RPG product line, and Munchkin as the third most popular item in the whole "strategy, board and card game" supercategory! And in the comment section, three of the six retailers quoted had specific happy things to say about Munchkin. Again, I say, woot!
-- Steve Jackson
It has been suggested in the past that obtaining a large assortment of monsters is something you "gotta" do. Warehouse 23 is above such high-pressure sales tactics. We have Mind Control Lasers. So when we tell you that the Plush Baragon, Mini Baby Godzilla Plush, Plush King Caesar, and the Grrr Godzilla Plush are available, you will at least think it was your idea to buy them.
June 23, 2006: Illuminated Site of the Week: You Are (Buried) Here
You don't have to be a GURPS Egypt fan to see what a cool resource the Theban Mapping Project is. If you've ever wanted to see, in dramatic detail, the Cradle of Civilization and the origin of the cabal that controls your fnord to this day, look no further. No, we mean it. Look no further, if you know what's good for you. -- Suggested by Sean Manning
Warehouse 23 News: The Unlife Of The Party
A mind is a terrible thing to waste, so you might wanna grab a helmet before class in Zombies!!! 5: School's Out Forever. And wipe your feet before you enter the castle in Zombies!!! Midevil 2: Castle Chaos! Even the legions of the damned have that much courtesy.
Congratulations to Aaron Allston, who fans of a certain vintage will remember as a Car Wars guru, and fans of a later vintage will remember as the best Champions GM ever to walk the earth. His new Star Wars novel, Betrayal, has hit the New York Times bestseller list!
Warehouse 23 News: Pointy Pyramids Play A Plethora Of Pastimes
Icehouse pieces are the five-sided wonders that you can play all sorts of games with. Treehouse is one such game, available in both rainbow and xeno colors. (Illumination sold separately).
My report to you for 2006 is finally up. Finally.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Werewolves: Inside, Outside, And Upside The Head
Werewolf physiology? That'd be in Werewolf: The Forsaken - Blood of the Wolf. Additional character creation options? Werewolf: The Forsaken - Lodges for you, then. All the leftover stuff that freaks out even shapeshifters with heads full of teeth? You're looking for Werewolf: The Forsaken - Blasphemies.
Another feature of the new office is the helipad. It's perfect for both the executive copter and the stealth MIB-carrier (shown here).
We'll have a picture of the shark tank if we can catch a cloudy day. The sharks tend to avoid the Texas sun, and stay hidden at the bottom. And a picture of water without sharks -- well, that would just be lame.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: Life Imitates Grievous Bodily Harm
Warehouse 23 takes no responsibility for any loss of limb resulting from customers who don the Monty Python: Black Knight Plush Helmet. After all, weren't you paying any attention to the film? In fact, you should just play it safe and purchase a Monty Python: Plush Talking Black Knight or even the Monty Python: Plush Macho Lumberjack. We hear he's okay.
The proof sheets for Chez Guevara showed up Tuesday.
We went over them with a fine-toothed comb, approved them, and sent them on their way.
You'll get to see all 112 cards later this month, but here's one now.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: Creature Of Nightmares Or Cuddly Bedtime Pal?
Cthulhu. Sometimes, these tales are the stuff of madness, like the Call of Cthulhu: Plush Hound of Tindalos or Call of Cthulhu: Ithaqua Monster Plush. Other times, he's dressed up like Santa or a college graduate. And other times, he's just very, very big.
Kromm and I have divided up the cheering for today's World Cup game.
He's going to Brazil in a couple of weeks, so he's rooting for them, of course.
I'm just back from Down Under, so I'm backing the underdog Socceroos.
We probably should have sorted out a bet on the game, but it's just going to be for gloating rights.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: And The Sky So Full Of Stuff
For being called "space" there sure are a lot of things floating around in it. People, mostly, running around the universe, busying themselves with trade, exploration, and galactic conquest. Babylon 5: Merchants, Traders, and Raiders gives you all that on the civilian side of things, while the Babylon 5: EarthForce Campaign Book does the same, only with cool uniforms.
From the "Things Are Moving Along" file: the sample sheets for Cowpoker came in last week. It's always neat to see all the cards, laid out next to each other.
These are the first sheets off the printer, before they go to the cutter and grinder (to round the corners off). You should be seeing the finished product on your FLGS' shelves before the end of the month.
-- Paul Chapman
Face the terrible Fury of Dracula, marshal your forces to conquer Britannia, fly the extremely unfriendly skies in Wings of War: Burning Drachens, or try your hand at the film industry with The Hollywood! Card Game. What's that? The last one isn't a board game? This isn't the fnord you're looking for.
June 16, 2006: Illuminated Site of the Week: Here We Go Again
Yes, yes, we know, the Internet is lousy with buttons. Panic buttons, the button that does nothing, yadda-yadda-yadda, but this button . . . okay, you decide what it does. It should keep you occupied while we get some work done. -- Suggested by Rick Thomas
Warehouse 23 News: Possession Is Nine-Tenths Of The Law
The remaining tenth is probably whoever has the biggest gun. So load up on guns and bring your friends . . . it's time to go on a little "shopping" Spree!
I'm back. Yesterday was a very, very long day; we started our return trip Wednesday morning, Australian time, flew for more than 12 hours, and arrived in LA on Wednesday morning. From there, it was just another few . . . okay, several . . . hours home.
It was a really great trip. One good small convention, one good medium-sized convention, hundreds of really nice people, and some tourism in between.
And it was a very, very busy three weeks. Busy enough that I didn't post nearly as many reports as I had intended to. Many adventures were had, many photos were taken, and many . . . okay, several . . . Illuminators will be written about the Great Down Under Trek over the next few weeks.
But it is, as they say, great to be back. I got a lot of work done on the next Munchkin game . . . the one I'm still not going to tell you about yet. And I had some interesting ideas. All in all, this trip did what vacations are supposed to do, even if I spent very little time actually lazing about. I feel energized. I want to write. So I'm going to.
Starting tomorrow.
TONIGHT, I'm going to fall down and sleep for many . . . okay, several . . . hours. Hmm. No, I'm going with my first thought. Many.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Every Saga Has A Prequel
GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars takes you back to the good old days of Traveller by providing rules and setting information for the First Imperium. We don't wanna toot our own horn, but this is the first time someone's covered this era in Traveller. Okay . . . maybe a little toot?
We're changing our DNS server this Friday to correct some recent problems. We don't expect any significant problems, but it may cause temporary glitches in accessing our websites over the following week. During that time, please be patient with us. If you are unable to reach one of our sites, wait a bit and try again - DNS problems are frequently transitory.
-- Shadlyn Westrich
Warehouse 23 News: It's A Jungle Out There
So it's a good thing you're armed with a stout sword and manly chin. Gloranthan Classics: Borderlands & Beyond is a massive campaign set near the River of Cradles that'll test your Runequest characters' mettle, metal, and mental.
One of the perks of the new building is a spiffy conference room. In the old building, we would usually meet in SJ's office, which made any meetings without him a rather large inconvenience.
Now, as you can see, we've got the facilities to hold a real conference. And, no, SJ doesn't use the large chair at the left of the image. He prefers the chair on the far right; it's closer to the mini-fridge.
-- Paul Chapman
Blokus proves that you can make an excellent strategy game without all that junk about firing arcs, terrain movement costs, and the wholesale slaughter of the pitiful forces who dare stand against your furious might.
On May 22, the Children's Museum of Indianapolis unveiled their newest addition to their Dinosphere exhibit: Dracorex hogwartsia.
Apparently, the skull of this member of the pachycephalosaur family has an unusually smooth forehead, which, when combined with the long muzzle and spiky horns, give this little guy a distinctively dragonish appearance. The homage to Harry Potter's school was a natural fit.
So, if you're in Indianapolis this summer (say, for GenCon), stop by between 10am and 5pm -- where else are you going to see a real (dead) dragon?
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: Diligently Working So You Don't Have To
Saving you some time on that nasty "background" stuff for your characters, Ars Magica: Covenants spells out everything you could ever want to know about your characters' covenant. And some stuff you probably don't wanna to know. And some stuff you didn't know you wanted to know. And yet other stuff you- well, you get the idea.
June 11, 2006: Your Desktop Is Now Full Of Stars
Transhuman Space fans have known about this cool program for quite a while, but I just noticed it this week. Celestia is a free downloadable which allows you to fly through the solar system, and watch the planets and moon orbit. The animation elicites a "wow!" everytime I see it.
If you like watching the stars, but want to get closer than your telescope can reach, Celestia is perfect.
-- Paul Chapman
So what happens after settlers settle? A settlement, sure, but let's take a closer look. Settlers of Catan: Elasund - The First City is a city building game that lacks only one thing: opportunities to make a ribald jest concerning lumber and livestock.
June 10, 2006: Illuminated Site of the Week: A Shameless Plug For Prehistory
Ever wondered where all those old bones came from? Well, yeah, from dinosaurs; we meant after the lizards were done with them. Those museums and collections were the lifelong obsession of a handful of eccentric men, The Real Bone Warriors. Their story is an inspiration to us all, especially if we want to co-opt their body of work to make card games. Follow the links to their accompanying game (right after you've picked up a copy of Dino Hunt). -- Suggested by Paul May
Warehouse 23 News: Crush All Who Oppose You
The eighth Warehouse 23 mini-sale is: Ogre Boxed Sets. Because what could be better than rolling over a battlefield with a giant, self-aware tank? The next sale begins Monday, so place your orders now. For details, check here.
June 9, 2006: The Flogging Will Continue
Whether you're a Puzzle Pirates fan, or just want to read some intelligent observations on the state of gaming, especially MMPORGs, you might enjoy Captain Cleaver's new blog.
Or it might aggravate you, but clearly he's all right with that, too.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: A Mighty Empire Deserves Mighty Title
Emperor Toturi may be remembered for his reign, his honor, or amazing fashion sense, but who can honestly say they can recall every tiny detail of his rule? Legend of the Five Rings: The Four Winds - The Toturi Dynasty from Gold to Lotus chronicles this time in Rokugan's history so you can give your poor gray matter a break.
Our new Art Director, Will Schoonover, has been in the office for a couple of weeks, but this is the first chance we've had to get a good photo of him.
Here's how he describes himself:
I worked as a radio producer and DJ, most recently in my hometown, Kansas City. I'm also a MIB.
That Will, you just can't stop him talking once he gets started. But he's been a great help with our (bumbling) podcast efforts, so he gets to stay.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: Redefining "Traffic Jam"
The lastest W23 mini sale is: Car Wars. Road rage was never so much fun! If you don't know what's going on, look here.
This time, Edvardas Vaisvila has brought GURPS Lite to Lithuania. Or maybe he's brought Lithuania to GURPS Lite. Either way, we're happy to help and be helped with our newest translation, available for free via e23, as always.
Rumor has it that a couple more translations will pop up next month. Which language? Which continent? Tune in soon for more details!
-- Paul Chapman
Dungeons & Dragons: Spell Compendium gathers up the best spells Wizards of the Coast has published. Dungeons & Dragons: Dragon Compendium gathers up the best articles Dragon Magazine has published. But can the two peacefully coexist on one bookshelf? We invite you to find out.
June 6, 2006: It's The Sale From H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks!
Today is the unholiest day of the millenium. That's right, June 6th, 2006 - or 6/6/06! Tremble with fear before the day of the Beast.
To commemorate this once-in-a-lifetime numerical coincidence, Warehouse 23 has marked down the entire In Nomine line 20%.
What's this you say? We've been marking things down for over a week now as part of our big Boss Is Away Sale and Giveaway? But this is a demonically inspired markdown! To prove it, we'll mark down the Infernal Player's Guide an additional 10%! That's right, the guide to playing one of the fallen is now just $14.00!
But not for long - this is a celebration, not a charity! So get yours while the gettin's good, cuz on June 7th we'll be setting them all back to normal prices.
-- Shadlyn
Warehouse 23 News: You Don't Have To Be Crazy To Live Here . . .
. . . but that'll change soon enough. Tatters of the King is a Call of Cthulhu campaign that- well, we don't want to spoil it for you. Sure, your characters are gonna die. But how?
June 5, 2006: Illuminated Site of the Week: I Hate You, You Hate Me, We're A Global Family
Sure, at first blush it looks like someone's harping on the oil companies again, but fear not: Unity of Being, for all its title is worth, seems to dislike everybody pretty equally. We're all being deluded by this faction of the conspiracy or the other, after all. The "oppo-sames" are out to turn our republic back into a democracy, and we can't afford to be tools. Don't worry . . . once you've been exposed to the site's music files, pop-up ads, and creative spelling, you'll have bile enough of your own to share. -- Suggested by Aria Invictus
Warehouse 23 News: From Abracadabra To Hocus Pocus
With a whopping 500 spells, the Arcana Evolved: Spell Treasury is sure to give Arcana Evolved spell casters a headache. That is, the kind of headache that comes after laughing maniacally for an hour straight.
I know. I'm a bad Steve. I didn't call, I didn't write . . .
Having an excellent time in New Zealand. Keeping very, very busy, and not terribly jet lagged. Internet is inconvenient (hotspot in hotel lobby, hourly connection rates) but speeds are broadband, so once I get myself and the computer dragged out here, I can log in easily enough; I just can't hang around in Pyramid chat. Waaaah!
However, there's plenty of "doing stuff" to keep me occupied. This is the last day of the convention. Fun is being had. This is the first time I'd met SF author Joan D. Vinge and her husband, Tor editor Jim Frenkel. Nice folks. Turns out that Jim had used some of the same now-antique typesetting equipment, early in his career, that I did, so we bored other people with geeky Electronic Selectric Composer memories.
We got to do some sightseeing before the con started. Visited Rotorua (big geothermal area, very pretty, but totally swamped with tourists); Waitomo (the "glowworm caves," with bioluminescent larvae that looks like stars; lovely, and not crowded at all); and several other sites outside Auckland. And we went on a dolphin-watching cruise. No luck the first day, so we tried again, and saw hundreds of common dolphins, and three Bryde's whales!
The photo is a tuatara, which I saw at Rainbow Springs outside Rotorua. This is a highly endangered New Zealand reptile of ancient lineage. We also saw kiwis . . . thoroughly neat birds, bigger than I expected. But they're nocturnal, and camera flash bothers them, so the pictures that I took are all nice black rectangles.
Getting a bit of playtesting done (I brought Munchkin Impossible and five other games in earlier stages of development). And spent a lot of the 12-hour flight time working on the next Munchkin project after Munchkin Impossible, but I'm cruelly not going to tell you what it is or when it comes out.
Tuesday we leave for Australia.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: The Thieving World Of Thieves' World
Get the nitty on fantasy's most gritty in Thieves' World: Shadowspawn's Guide to Sanctuary or broaden your world view a bit with the Thieves' World Gazetteer. Or get both. Hey, we certainly won't complain.
June 3, 2006: GURPS Martial Arts Playtesters Needed!
GURPS Martial Arts is the GURPS Fourth Edition guide to fightin' 'round the world, by Peter Dell'Orto and Sean Punch. It contains entire chapters on martial-arts history, martial artists as PCs, combat techniques, optional combat rules, martial-arts styles, weapons, and running martial-arts campaigns. The Third Edition treatment of the subject was certainly inspirational, but this isn't a revision -- it's a completely new book. Important changes include a total rethinking of which moves in combat should qualify as techniques and which should be options for any fighter, a radical redefinition of martial-arts styles, and a more determined effort to present arts from all times and places. Armed or unarmed, cinematic or realistic, combat or sport, modern or historical . . . Martial Arts should fit the bill.
We will conduct the Martial Arts playtest on a closed mailing list between June 12 and July 21, 2006. Only Pyramid subscribers are eligible to participate, and list membership is limited to 40 people. Interested parties should write to Sean Punch (please use this link, and note that the subject line must read "[MA] Playtest" or the application won't be accepted). Applications should be brief: name, e-mail address, Pyramid user ID, a short sentence on your experience with GURPS, and an equally brief sentence on your experience with the martial arts (if any). We need both martial artists and non-martial artists, so don't be shy. Our only biases will be toward people who are clearly conversant with the Fourth Edition rules and those who demonstrate an ability to follow these instructions to the letter. Please note that as we anticipate many replies, we cannot respond to individual applications.
Interested but not a Pyramid subscriber? Subscribe today!
-- Sean Punch
Starship Troopers: Boot Camp will get you started. The Citizens' Federation can show you what it's all for. In between? Lots and lots of shootin', which is all covered in The Miniatures Game Rulebook. Together they form the How, the Why, and the "Yeeeeee-ha!"
June 2, 2006: Brazil Has A Month To Prepare . . .
The good folks at Devir Livraria -- who publish the Portuguese edition of GURPS -- have graciously invited me to be their guest at the XIV Encontro Internacional de RPG in São Paulo on July 1-2. That's just a month from now! I'll be signing books (notably, the new Portuguese translation of GURPS Fourth Edition), talking about SJ Games stuff (in English . . . the only Portuguese I know is "vinho verde"), and generally getting in their way (Douglas Quinta Reis is a saint!). If you happen to be in the neighborhood, why not stop by and say hello?
-- Sean Punch
Warehouse 23 News: Warehouse 23 Top Ten
Check out Warehouse 23's top selling items for May at the Warehouse 23 Top 10 page.
With Steve out of the office for a few weeks, Warehouse 23 has been running a series of sales and combining them with a daily prize drawing!
Our fourth mini-sale is: The Discworld RPG and Discworld Also. Explore the world of Terry Prachett's hilarious series at the best price yet!
So far, we have drawn 18 winners from our magical hat! There was a slight delay in notifying the last few winners, due to the Memorial Day Weekend, but all confirmation e-mails are now away. As I am writing this, only five winners have responded to claim their prizes - if you've ordered from Warehouse 23 since May 24th, check your e-mail. You might just be a winner.
Our confirmed winners are:
Heiko Moehrke
Robert Morea
Sierra Smiley
Todd Werner
Kyle Bresin
Congratulations!
You can find full details on the contest at here.
-- Shadlyn
Warehouse 23 News: Paleontology: The Most Dangerous Game
In the world of fossil excavation, it is often brother against brother. Vicious feuds tear entire continents asunder, shake the heavens, and shatter the very soul of the human race. Dare you take part in the Bone Wars?
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