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Illuminated Site of the Week
Spiffy, isn't it?
Super Munchkin 2 - The Narrow S Cape is sporting our new tuckbox packaging, suitable for hanging on a rack, sliding into a shelf, or being displayed face out. But if you're not interested in packaging geekery, the cards inside will add mightily to the glee you derive from crushing your opponents in Super Munchkin.
Super Munchkin 2 - The Narrow S Cape is currently traveling across America's heartland from the printer to our warehouse, where shipping is set to begin Real Soon Now. If you haven't asked your retailer to pre-order it yet, now's the time!
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: Places To Go, Folk To Rob
The 'verse of Serenity ain't a particularly nice one. 'Course, that's what makes it so excitin'. An' excitin' is good, since the only thing more dangerous than a Reaver is a crew that's going a little fong luh from boredom. Maybe it's time to find out what's goin' on Out in the Black.
September 29, 2006: Illuminated Site of the Week: Golden Apples At Internet Prices
It's been a while since we sent you on a quest looking for some twisted enlightenment, so here's Oh My Eris!!!!!! (dot com), a purveyor of books and philosophy aplenty on the subject. Insert here the usual warnings about adult language and the sorts of things you'll find when you turn a blind corner on the Web. Most of it is free, including the music. Music? Oh, yeah. And again, insert here the usual warnings.
-- Suggested by Jen Payton
Warehouse 23 News: Rolling Precious Stones
We all know how highly valued dice are to gamers, but how many dice are truly valuable? Treat yourself to a set of Dwarven Stones or Dwarven Metal dice. Or buy a set for your DM. They might just convince him that your 17th level half-orc barbarian with that +3 Axe of Dragonslaying isn't really dead after all.
It's here, and ready to hear! Episode Three of the Fnordcast is online and available for listening.
I talk to Dr. Kromm about Martial Arts, Thomas brings back audio from GenCon, then discusses it with Will, and SJ talks about Worldcon.
As always, let us know what you think on the forums, or via email at fnordcast@sjgames.com.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: Tiny Pyramids For Tiny Pyramids
The Icehouse: Volcano Caps are designed to let you play Volcano with your Icehouse pieces. You could probably also use the tiny, gray pyramids to serve the nefarious ends of a global conspiracy that rules the world, but we wouldn't fnord anything about that . . .
This afternoon Monica picked up one of the flowerpots in the lobby to move it to a stand. The bottom came loose, and this guy, about a foot and a half long, was curled up inside.
The Great Plains Rat Snake is not venomous, and in fact doesn't usually bite anyone who doesn't work hard to annoy it. It's a good guy; it eats small mammals like mice. But Monica has a thing about snakes. She screamed. Will came and escorted the snake outside, where he's welcome to whatever he can catch.
Warehouse 23 News: A Hundred Billion Stars
Sure is a lot of ground to cover . . . Maybe the universe could use a tourist office? In the meantime, there's Star Hero: Worlds of Empire. It should point you at a few of the more interesting planets.
. . . who wrote a great many brilliant things, died early Monday morning.
Mike had never been in good health. He didn't expect to live to 40. He made it nine years past that mark. And every year he had was a gift to the world.
He was, and I do not say this lightly, one of the most brilliant writers I have ever read. But he never became well-known. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he was widely known in a number of different fields and, there being only 24 hours in the day, never truly prolific in any of them. Too often, the readers waiting for his next work in one genre never knew about his other, completely unrelated yet still dazzling, works. Many people didn't realize that the author of the World Fantasy Award-winning The Dragon Waiting was also the author of both the best serious Trek novel ever created and the only intentionally humorous one. And the prolific poster of mordantly witty comments on Making Light, the Pyramid newsgroups, and other venues. And won three Origins awards, writing for different companies: first for "Yellow Clearance Black Box Blues" for Paranoia and then for our own GURPS Time Travel. And much of the latter book carried over into the GURPS Infinite Worlds, which won for 2005. And created a small body of poetry, often in exacting forms, that makes me grin, and weep, and marvel, often on the same page. He seemed to know something about everything, and a great deal about a lot of things, and he had the gift of phrasing. He was also erudite in some truly geeky ways: Klingon, Tsolyani, SCA heraldry. And he could make an acronym out of absolutely any word you gave him.
In his writing and in the flesh, Mike was a truly joyful person. Not noisy: he was slight, usually quiet, and quite modest. (Oh, he knew he did good work, but he was always genuinely happy and a tiny bit surprised when people liked it.) But he was a joyful man. He knew that the world was a neat and complex place, and that people were a neat and complex part of the world, and everything he did was a celebration of that.
In all the years I knew Mike, I probably got to spend fewer than 24 hours actually in his company. Once in a great while we talked on the phone. Mostly, we just exchanged e-mail. And I am sorry for myself that I won't get to enjoy his company, however attenuated by distance and phosphor dots, ever again. And I am sorry for everyone who loves to read, because there won't be any more Ford, ever. And I am sorry for Mike, because he got to be Mike Ford for 49 years, and he burned bright, and he knew it could stop at any time, but oh, he deserved more.
And I miss him so much.
-- Steve Jackson
Post scriptum: There's a Making Light thread with a great number of tributes to Mike and links to his work, including many brilliant posts that were, to him, just throwaways. Maybe someone will create a permanent archive. He'd laugh at the idea, but I hope it happens.
Warehouse 23 News: Picking Up The Pieces
Blue Moon City is an absolute mess. Probably because of all that fighting you people did with the original game, Blue Moon! Now it's time to take responsibility for this little urban disaster and rebuild the city. Try not to break it this time, 'kay?
Sometimes you have to do a story just for the title . . .
The New Zealand Herald reports that its national Burger King licensee is in the final stages of negotiating to buy Hell Pizza, the NZ chain I told you about a couple of months ago.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Try To Understand, He's A Magic Man
Or perhaps a black magic woman. Whatever the case, slingin' spells is more than damage ratings and casting difficulty. There's other magical wonders to consider, too. Like the secret cabals, the metaplanes, and toxic spirits. And then there's the stuff that's really scary. Don't go unprepared, chummer. Get a copy of Shadowrun: Street Magic.
Atlas Games was one of the companies that Warehouse 23 carried when it first opened, back in 1999. Atlas Games was the first company to select Warehouse 23 as their official online store, and they've been a great partner ever since.
And now Atlas Games has taken that partnership one step further, by making e23, our digital games store, an official distributor of their PDF line.
The continuing relationship with Atlas is one of the greatest compliments that has ever been bestowed on Warehouse 23, and we're all looking forward to a bright future.
Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go home and play some Dungeoneer.
-- Shadlyn
Warehouse 23 News: The Annoying Old Guy Is Dead!
Long live the next annoying old guy! Okay, so the recent "forced retirement" of the Sea Lord has made things in Freeport a bit . . . tumultuous. Any sane individual would skip town, but then how many sane adventurers do you know? That's what we thought. Get the details in Freeport: Crisis in Freeport.
September 23, 2006: Illuminated Site of the Week: . . . And Touch The Face Of God
Think small. They're trying to improve upon jet-pack technology with model rocket engines at Skywalker Jets, and they're willing to let you partner with them. $100,000 gets you in the door, and another 100k . . . well, gets you almost as high as he's gotten. Let's hope his tech skills are better than his grammar and spelling. -- Suggested by Myles Cook
Warehouse 23 News: Zombies. Brains. Poker.
Maybe it's a message from the Secret Masters. Maybe it's a game by James Ernest called Dead Money. Maybe it's a spelling bee. Care to find out?
September 22, 2006: . . . And There Was A Lot Of Screaming
I spent the evening at the Alamo Draft House, which is holding the "Fantastic Fest 2006" this week. Tonight was the sneak preview of the prequel to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It's called The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning.
Good film. No, I'm not going to give any spoilers at all. Yes, there were screams from the audience. Those of you who liked the original story, in either the original version or the 2003 remake, should go see it when it opens, and don't let anybody talk to you about the ending. Those who found the originals too intense . . . well, director Jonathan Liebesman didn't hold anything back in this prequel. Nothing. You've been warned.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Three Heads Are Better Than One
Particularly if each one can shoot a gravity beam out of its gob. If hurling your monstrous foes around with gravity-breath sounds like fun, maybe the Godzilla Origins: Keizer Ghidorah Plush is for you.
Our newest SJ Games original supplement on e23 is Litheroy, an In Nomine Archangel writeup by Eric Burns. Those of you who are webcomic fans may know Eric better as the Websnark.
Litheroy has been up for several days now, and we are happy to note that it's the second-most-downloaded file of the last 30 days, and is currently tied for the second highest rating ever. (Yes, it has only a few ratings so far, and early ratings are always extreme . . . the first buyers usually either love something or hate it. But we're always happy when it turns out to be love.)
More In Nomine material, and more GURPS originals, will be appearing on e23. And we will continue to be happy about the way PDFs let us offer supplementary material that otherwise just wouldn't happen.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Open Ended Settings For Your Open License Gaming
From ninja to nightmares under the bed, True20: Worlds of Adventure is a veritable cornucopia of settings for True20. We say "veritable" because, well, you can't really eat it. Not without a lot of antacids, anyway.
So today we got some extra use out of our nice flagpole. Arrr!
Hope everyone else had a shipshape Talk Like A Pirate Day!
-- Steve Jackson
We realize that upon opening a copy of Pieces of Eight: The Maiden's Vengeance or The Cursed Blade that the urge to bury the components on an island, make a map, tear that map into several pieces, and then distribute the pieces to various scallywags who sail the seven seas is pretty strong. But trust us, they make for a fun game, too.
I certainly hope that nobody . . .
Err. Let's be startin' over here.
I certainly hopes none o' ye scoundrels has forgotten what day this be.
-- Cap'n Evil Stevie
Warehouse 23 News: Our Other Last Best Hope
It was the dawn of the second edition of an RPG based on a popular science fiction property, the year the great switch to OGL came upon us all. This is the advertisement of the latest of its core rule books. The year is 2006. The name of the game is Babylon 5 The Roleplaying Game.
PopCap Games is a very young company that quickly became a significant creative force and a market leader in casual (digital) gaming. I know I've spent quite a bit of time with their offerings . . . Here's an excellent interview with PopCap on 2old2play.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Fantastic Adventures Of Amazing Fantasy!
Roll back the clock to a time when an "anti-hero" was a villain and square-jawed men in tights kept them in line. Mutants & Masterminds: Golden Age takes a look at the world of black-and-white morals and four-color heroes.
September 17, 2006: Illuminated Site of the Week: What, No Yogi Bear Bones?
Early animators often had more than one bone to pick with their employers - long hours, bad pay, not enough recognition for their work. Michael Paulus pays homage to their rib-tickling results, and labors to uncover the inner workings of some of their more famous creations. To wit: humerus illustrations of cartoon character Skeletal Systems. -- Suggested by Craig Roth
Warehouse 23 News: Xtreme Dungeon Crawling
No, not hack 'n slashing while drinking certain caffinated, citrus-flavored beverages. It's high-risk, live-on-TV, fabulous-cash-prize filled, undead-slaying action. If you've got the chutzpah to handle the world of Xcrawl, then allow us to say Welcome to Necromerica 4702!
The "tenth planet," provisionally named Xena, is now officially named . . . ERIS!
Hail Eris! All hail Discordia!
That really ought to give us an excuse to update and reprint the Principia Discordia.
For more information, read the MSNBC story, which oddly enough makes no mention of Discordianism. Fnord!
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Time To Invest In That Steel Bookshelf
Without a doubt, Ptolus is the most complete, the most detailed, the most expansive, and the biggest darn supplement you will find for the d20 system. It's the kind of supplement you could use to keep your players hip-deep in adventure for many, many moons. You could also use it to stop a charging rhino.
We have an immediate opening for a new member of our Warehouse 23 Staff. Check out our Job Opportunities Page for more information.
-- Shadlyn Wolfe
Fluxx, that ever-changing game of shifting rules, has finally decided to go into the light. Feel the passion with Christian Fluxx and appreciate tradition with Jewish Fluxx. A good game made even gooder? Amen to that!
I try to think about upcoming Munchkin releases at least a year ahead. In today's uncertain market, there's one thing we're absolutely sure of . . . you want more Munchkin stuff and you want it now.
Happy to oblige. But sometimes it snaps my brain a little bit.
For instance: I've been finished with Super Munchkin 2 - The Narrow S Cape for many months. At Worldcon, I kept talking about it as though it were already out. But this hurt the brains of the people I was talking to, for in fact the printers aren't quite through with it yet.
And the Munchkin Impossible cards just went to print this evening. We plan to have that game in stores by Thanksgiving. But my brain is already on Munchkin Cthulhu - almost through with it, in fact, except for wrapping up which of the alternate Cultist class powers to use. And now I'm making lists of cards for the next one, which is **Ha, ha! You thought I was going to tell you what was next! No!**
So if you see me at a convention and I talk about a Munchkin set you haven't seen yet, don't correct me. Play along and see if you can get me to leak some info you're not supposed to know. It serves me right.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Freakin' Laser Beams
On their heads, no less. Well, they're all head, so it'd be hard to put the laser elsewhere. We all know and love the big Moai heads of Easter Island, but have you ever stopped to consider how cool they'd be if they shot lasers?
I am delighted to report that the Temeraire series (His Majesty's Dragon and sequels) has been optioned for film by Peter Jackson. For details, read author Naomi Novik's happy blog post.
I am delighted about this, because it means the series will get the support it deserves and the author will get a pot of money - even if no film ever happens, Jackson's interest will draw a lot of attention and the option fee was no doubt respectable. So yay.
To those who have been asking whether, if I like the series so much, I would try to do a game . . . I think it's safe to assume that the property has now been priced out of the hobby game market. But the odds of a really spiffy digital game have gone up.
And if you want to roleplay it, buy the books in the series, refer to GURPS Dragons and GURPS Age of Napoleon, with a little GURPS China on the side . . . and there you have it!
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Politics, Intrigue, And Spaceships Blowing Up
Fans of Babylon 5 know that the year 2258 ended with a "bang." But do you know what happened during The Final Flight of Santiago? Now you can finally have the inside track on that fateful tour of the Alliance. Just, uh, make sure you get off at the transfer point on Io. Trust us.
They could be anywhere. It's dark. Now, where was the last place I put them? Darn, I know they're around here somewhere.
If this could be you, then you need the Simple Bat Detector.
Warehouse 23 News: They're Like Kobolds . . . From Hell
Melodramatic, perhaps, but we'll see who's laughing when you're stuck in a cave, surrounded by a gaggle of crazed, bloodthirsty kobolds hopped up on ancient magics. That pleasant mental image and others await you in Dungeon Crawl Classics #31: Transmuter's Last Touch.
No, really. You, and we mean YOU, you specifically, are very important to us.
How serious are we? Click and find out.
Sit. Stay. Flank the enemy. Okay, so maybe they're a little smarter than that, but the Off the Wall Armies Semi-Colonials do share one thing with their canine cousins. Let's just say battles are often called on account of rain.
The bullet points:
- The presentations, on average, had less substance than last year. There seemed to be more sponsored promotion and less actual, useful thought. A wonderful exception was Sam Lewis' excellent talk on MMO economics; there is no link to that right now because his system in Seoul is down, but I'll try to remember to post one eventually.
- Even the rant session was less interesting than last year. People, we have all noticed that the money-guys aren't greenlighting anything that's not a copy of Worlds of Warcraft. Isn't it time to quit angsting about how nobody wants to front ten million dollars for your creativity, and apply that creativity to the problem of making a novel idea look like a good business proposition?
- The exhibit area, on the other hand, has continued to grow and become more engaging, even if every third booth seems to be a corporate recruiter.
- The conference party was a complete waste of time for me, since I went there to meet people and talk. Of course, people who wanted to shout at each other over loud rappish music, or watch the booth babes gyrate, were having a great time. One thing that game conferences seem to lack, in general, is the reasonably sedate mixer where you can actually stand far enough away from other people to read their badges.
- I thought Vernor Vinge's talk on the last day was interesting . . . and, what do you know, someone has posted a transcript.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: And A Star To Sail Her By
Make your starships as tall (or as heavily armed) as you want with the Babylon 5: Ship Builder's Manual. Now you too can experience the thrill of designing starships that look like fish or plucked chickens.
Those of you who keep track of our new releases page may have noticed that some release dates have moved around. We may be able to pull GURPS Ultra-Tech back into 2006, but the changes are in line with what we currently believe, and right now we don't think we can get everything finished on that in time to ship it before January 2007. Evil Ted also moves to January, simply because the pipeline ahead of it is full.
Warehouse 23 News: Supernaturally Icky
We have been assured that it's a book about shapeshifters, so don't let the name of Werewolf: The Forsaken - Skinchangers put you off. Then again, the term "skinthieves" is appropriate for a horror setting, don't you think? That, or a bizarre butcher shop crime wave.
September 8, 2006: Illuminated Site of the Week: Hunka-Hunka Burnin' Web
You're going to die. Okay, you didn't want to think about that, but you'd like to put it off, right? Then before you visit - well, anywhere, really - visit the RSOE HAVARIA Emergency and Disaster Information Service. They'll guide you through the minefield that is our modern landscape by pointing out epidemics, hurricanes, meltdowns, forest fires, and anything else that might ruin that late-season vacation. The ominously flashing front-page map, slow-loading though it is, is enough reason to visit.
-- Suggested by Erik Wilson
Warehouse 23 News: Puff The Magic Devourer Of Souls
Dragons aren't typically as cuddly as some cartoons might lead you to believe. In fact, some of them are downright genocidal. And we can't have that. Fight the good fight (or just try not to get mangled into a small, wet mess) in Dungeon Crawl Classics #30: Vault of the Dragon Kings!
Too many good cons too close. Worldcon, DragonCon, and now PAX bumping heads in late August. I am not triplets!
K is for Krab, all white, pink, and red. It used to be some kind of fish. Now it's dead.
You know what English lacks? A general term for "using media" that would cover reading, viewing, and listening-to.
Best thing I heard at the conference today was from Blizzard's Rob Pardo, on game quality. Paraphrased: "Maybe nobody notices the polish on any one thing. But when you polish a thousand things, they notice."
-- Steve Jackson
Some say they're only enemies that don't have the guts to kill you. Give your friends some incentive with Hex Hex (and its expansion, the cleverly titled Hex Hex Next). Remember, it's all fun and games (and beer and pretzels!) until someone flips out and starts killing people.
For the next three days I'll be at the Austin Game Conference. As the name implies, though, I get to sleep in my own bed. This, at the moment, feels like a big win.
It should be an interesting three days - among other things, Vernor Vinge is giving the Friday keynote. If you're there, look me up. I'm not presenting anything; I'll be attending panels and - I hope - learning.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: They Are Everyday People. Yeah.
Not everyone can be exceptional. In fact, if everyone was exceptional, we'd have to redefine exceptional. And then we'd be right back were we started. So, in order to define your heroes, you need a bunch of squishy NPC-types. Enter Champions: Everyman.
I am unofficially advised that Munchkin won the German competition by a good margin. Thanks to everyone who voted. More on this as we find it out . . .
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Lions And Tigers And Two-Headed Mammoth Poodles From The Abyss
An adventuring party runs on its desire to meet, greet, and annihilate the strange and wonderful creatures they encounter on their travels. From dragons to dragonflies, True20: Bestiary is one-stop-shopping for twenty-sided monsters.
Yes! The Japanese edition of Munchkin is out! And it's time to update the list of languages in which the game has been printed . . .
When the Solar Exalted went a liiiiiitle crazy, it was the Terrestrials that put them in their place. Six feet under. Learn more about these fascinating kickers of butt in Exalted: The Manual of Exalted Power - The Dragon-Blooded.
September 3, 2006: Munchkin Online? Maybe, If You Vote TODAY!
Munchkin has made it to the finals of the German Boardgame Championship 2007, run by the Spielezentrum (Games Centre) in the card game category. If Munchkin wins, a free online version will be available at BrettspielWelt (Boardgame World) as part of the championship.
The programmers at Brettspielwelt (who also created the Settlers of Catan online version) will code Munchkin Online . . . if it wins!
How to support the Munchkinism: Go to the voting site and fill out the form. For those who don't read German: Enter your last name in the "Name" field. Enter your first name in the "Vorname" field, the street number in the "Strasse" field, the city, state, and zip in the "PLZ, Ort" field, your phone number and e-mail address in the "Telefon" and "EMail" fields, and your age in the "Alter" field. (If you're concerned about privacy: Only the Name fields and the e-mail field are required.)
Then choose the game you like best in the categories K1-3 and, most
important, make sure you select Munchkin in the K4 category, which is
the card games category. You may add a comment in the comments field, and then (VERY important!) click the "Abschicken" (Send) button to make sure your vote counted.
We'd like to win this . . . and campaigning for votes is perfectly legal (but please vote only once), so being Munchkins, we are asking for your vote. Please note that the voting ends today, German time, which means Sunday afternoon Texas time. If you're going to do it, do it NOW!
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: You Have The Wight To Remain Silent
It's tough being a cop. It's even tougher to pretend to be a cop in a world populated by vampires, werewolves, and worse. The World of Darkness: Tales from the 13th Precinct helps. An overactive imagination that borders on psychosis might help more, but the book ought to be enough.
Probably the best toy I never got to play with is Lego Mindstorms, which lets you create programmable robots out of Lego pieces. Now there's a new version, 32-bit smart, and oh, for a spare day in every week. Read the Ars Technica review.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: It's Not Just An Adventure
It's also a job. DragonMech: Almanac of the Endless Traders shows you the land of Highpoint through the eyes of its most mobile (and most upwardly mobile) citizens.
September 1, 2006: Illuminated Site of the Week: Happiness Is A Warm Phaser
If you're dangling from a cliff's edge on the planet Genesis, hang in there, baby. The Star Trek franchise has ever been a source of strength and encouragement for its fans, and now an hour's worth of TV has been compacted into two dimensions. Star Trek Inspirational Posters will keep you boldly going when the going gets tough. -- Suggested by CthulhuBob Lovely
Magically speaking, that is. The Scepter of Zavandor is your ticket to arch magiciandom. Provided the other five mages don't get the thing first. Good thing you've got magical spells, arcane knowledge, and that unshakeable ego wizards always seem to have.
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