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Illuminated Site of the Week
March 31, 2009: New Place To Play Games In Austin
The guys over at Tribe (Austin's newest FLGS, and the only one on the south side of town) pointed me at Fiddler's Hearth, an Irish restaurant near downtown Austin. They run a "game night" each Tuesday, with a room set aside for board and card games.
As a fan of other food and fun combo ventures (such as Alamo Drafthouse), I was in general approval. Once I tasted their fish and chips, however, I was 100% sold. The steak and Guinness stew was great as well.
(Note: I realize that this entry would have been more timely earlier this month, what with St. Patrick's Day and all. But that week was South By Southwest, which means every restaurant and street was a madhouse with bands, moviemakers, and other festivities.)
And to top the evening off, who should I run into as I was leaving, but Adam, who was part of the warehouse crew circa 2003. He's actually a manager at Fiddler's Hearth now, so I'm sure I'll be seeing him again.
It's a small, but tasty, world after all.
-- Paul Chapman
Second testimonial: I went to Fiddler's Hearth last Tuesday, and met a great group of people who are game for anything. I played a domino game I'd never played before, and then nearly won a spirited game of The Good, the Bad, and the Munchkin. The restaurant goes out of their way to make the game-players welcome. There's plenty of room for tables, and they want folks to come in and bring their own favorite games to play. I'll definitely be going back. (I can recommend the rashers and cabbage, and look forward to trying some of the other great-sounding menu items.)
-- Andrew Hackard
Warehouse 23 News: e23: The Scary Fairy
With the fantastic being the home turf of many gamers, we can probably safely make the jump to assume that you, our dear readers, are familiar with the fey. So you already know that in addition to being cute, whimsical, and playful, they are also vengeful, insane, and way stronger than you are. Which brings them in line with just about everything else in the dungeon that wants to kill you, really. So if you're looking to beat up more elves than just . . . um, elves, have a peek at Critter Cache: Fey Folk.
March 30, 2009: I Think, Therefore, I Am Messing With Your Stuff
Legend has it that a mind is a terrible thing to waste. A good sentiment. If you're going to go through all the trouble of carrying around and protecting that lump of gray, I say you should get some use out of it. Make that brain pull its own weight, as it were.
That's what GURPS Psionic Powers is all about: using your brainmeats to achieve the unlikely, the impossible, and the really cool. At 85 pages, its a pretty exhaustive list, too. Teleportation, probability manipulation, astral projection and more are all covered alongside the classic "read minds and move stuff" that psi is known for. Best of all, even though it draws on stuff we laid out in GURPS Powers, the book stands alone. Everything inside is ready to be plugged into characters you made with the Basic Set. Plus, think of all the fun you and the GM could have at the rest of the party's expense.
"Wow, I'm so sorry."
"For what?"
"Oh, I guess that hasn't happened yet. Uh, nevermind."
"What hasn't happened yet?!"
-- Fox Barrett
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Yes, More Heavy Gear
We ain't done yet! As Rome was not built in a day, so too was Heavy Gear not made available for sale in a day. After all, we've only got Blitz! and the first edition behind us. There are two other editions to come before we can start tooting the Horn of Having Completed Something. Well, the second edition has started going up, and more is on the way.
I wish that I got to Perth more often . . . there's a store that I'd like to visit. Where is that darned teleporter when we need it?
Stephen Dedman was the author of GURPS Dinosaurs and several other GURPS books. And now he's a bookseller himself! He tells us:
Fantastic Planet is a specialist science fiction and fantasy bookshop, owned and run by well-read and ridiculously overqualified fans. The wide range includes sf and fantasy classics and new releases, imports, graphic novels, media and game tie-ins, horror fiction, art books, small press titles, and signed copies.
The store is located at 8 Shafto Lane, between Hay and Murray St, in Perth, Western Australia. Their website is at www.fantasticplanet.com.au. You can contact them at sales@fantasticplanet.com.au.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Excitement! Adventure! Exploitation!
Sometimes, you just have to take a step back and say "nuts to you, science!" You have to put on that bubble helmet, climb into your rocket, and fly right though that black hole. When the mood hits, Slipstream will be waiting for you. It's ready to toss you a ray gun and square jaw the next time you get tired of calculating the effect of a planetary body on your ship's inertia.
Augmented reality -- the overlay of computer information onto real-world objects -- is quickly becoming a reality. See, for instance, Wikitude: an app for Google's Android platform that gives you information on over 350,000 points of interest as you look at them through the phone's camera screen. SF writers have been talking about this technology for years -- our own Transhuman Space, for example, or the more recent Shadowrun Fourth Edition.
Recently, Transhuman Space: Toxic Memes author Jamais Cascio posted an essay on an unintended consequence of AR -- the very necessary spam blockers may create a dangerously narrow world view. It's a good read for anyone running a near-future game, or planning on being around in the near-future.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Watch Out For The Little Guy
No really, watch out for him. He's got a knife! Thankfully, he's also only got one hit point, so it really doesn't take much to drop him like a sack of potatoes. "Thankfully" for you. Less so for him. Thankfully for him, there is The Home For Wayward Minions, the latest in the Lands of Darkness line. It's a refuge for 1-hit-point-wonders, and their associated treasures and experience points. Thankfully (again!) for you, this book will also tell you where the Home is.
From the "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" Department, the Egyptian government is fighting a new urban legend: killer text messages. It seems that a newspaper reported a man south of Cairo receiving a strange text, then promptly dying of massive and messy brain hemorrhage. Supposedly, others have gotten the same text ("from unknown foreign quarters") and suffered splitting headaches that also led to death.
There's no scientific evidence, of course. But if you were looking for a plot hook for . . . well, I was going to say "any modern game," but in a cybernetically enhanced future, viruses may actually be lethal. Alternatively -- alternate history, that is -- how about tweaking the rumor for steampunk? "Killer Telegraph Message Terrorizes Town!"
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Cowboys And . . . Uh, Whatever That Thing Is
There have been a few stabs at Deadlands. Heck, we even tried our hand with it using GURPS! The latest and greatest, however, is Deadlands: Reloaded. Pumped full of grit, lead, and the Savage Worlds rules, this version still delivers all the wildness and weirdness you could possibly want from the west. Of course, if you're not familiar with Deadlands, here's the three word summary: Zombie. Cowboy. Extravaganza.
This was our first bluebonnet of the year. It popped up a couple of weeks ago beside the back door. I managed to resist taking its picture until the ladybug showed up. Awwww . . . ladybug.
After last week's rains, we are hoping for a lot more bluebonnets soon, and other things as well. So you can expect some more wildflower pictures in your Illuminator.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Back To The Future
Though the new stuff is still in the works, theres no reason you can't have a little robo-shooty fun in the meantime. Through the magic of the Information Supertubes, we can journey back to the year 1995, whereupon we shall find the first edition of Heavy Gear. No, it's not "out-dated" or "old." It's "vintage!" More importantly, it's robots beating each other up some 4000 years from now. Go get a piece of the action.
Okay, maybe that wasn't the best joke I've ever had, but I needed something appropriate for Pyramid #3/5: Horror & Spies. I couldn't rightly title the entry "Buy Our Book If You Find Its Contents Pleasing, Don't Buy It If You Are Not Amenable To Such A Product." For one thing, that's way too long. For another, it contains a reference to neither horror nor spies. And the subtitle of this issue makes it quite clear that not only is horror featured, but that there are spies as well. To not represent at least one of them in the title is to be disingenuous. That I managed to work in both (however tenuously) speaks highly of my ability, I should think!
Hmm. It seems I have gotten off-track. Um . . . Go buy our book if you find its contents pleasing!
-- Fox Barrett
Tiny metal people can never get along. They're always so bent on skewering one another with a variety of flesh-rending implements. On the bright side, it does make for a good game. And the tiny metal people occasionally have the decency to at least look good doing it. Like the tiny metal people in Anima: Tactics. Sure, they don't look particularly amenable to a friendly conversation about local weather patterns, but they do have really cool armory bits.
If you visit our new World of Munchkin page, you may notice that the Munchkin Dude from the Munchkin cover looks a little different. We decided that after eight years of squinting and the worst overbite in recorded history, we'd get him fixed up. A pair of new contacts and some orthodontia did wonders for him -- just look at that smile! He felt so good, he even bought a new pair of sneakers. Now the blood won't show . . .
-- Andrew Hackard
PS from SJ -- Seriously? The original cartoon depiction rocked. The modifications are to make the character design work better for animation, turnarounds, and so on. Why should that matter? Oh, don't worry. Forget I said anything. Look! Something shiny, right over there!
No . . . no, it isn't. But we've got all these GIANTmicrobes! (They're plush microbes, blown up to huggable size.) We'd really like to sell them. We just don't have a particularly good reason to pull you over to take a look. Sure, we have a reason, but it's just "we know you have money and we would much prefer it if that money was in our possession instead." So, in order to make this whole thing less creepy for all parties involved, just pretend it's flu season. Thanks!
Some days, I just want to fill the Daily Illuminator with FNORDS. In any publishing venture, you need to work months, sometimes years, ahead. Which means that when you're personally excited about a project, you have to keep it under your hat forever! I just got out of one of those meetings . . .
So instead, I'll point out that Frag Gold Edition has arrived in the warehouse. I recall the days when Phil and Russell were working on the prototypes, back in 2000. Even the rough mockup they'd created was a certifiable "ton o' fun" and we had many loud playtest sessions. It could be argued that we over-playtested it, since everyone in the office wanted multiple games. Long-time readers may recall the beta version we released in February 2001. (I've still got my copy.)
It's a shame that it took as long as it did to get back in print, but looking at the proof copy, I think its worth it. The board is more solid than we'd hoped, the figures look great, and dry erase character sheets! How cool is that?
Frag Gold Edition begins shipping next week, and your local game stores should have it on their shelves around the first week of April.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: All The Killers Of The Rainbow
You have bunnies. They have bunnies. Your bunnies must live. For that to happen, their bunnies must die. Killer Bunnies is the no-holds-barred card game of bunny-versus-bunny warfare. It's vicious! It's brutal! It will make women swoon and make men reevaluate their machismo! It's . . . it's . . . okay, you got us. It's actually pretty cute. And more than a little silly. Scary name, though! Ooo-OOO-ooh!
I have not been to MisCon for years, and I miss it. Very, very fun convention in beautiful Missoula, Montana. But they remain completely illuminated, even without Evil Stevie around. Their guest this year is John Kovalic, and look at the cover he's done for their program book.
Madness!
It makes me very happy just to see this. I'm going to be sending them some special goodies for their auction, just because, hey. Miscon. John K. Illumination.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Blitz! (Krieg Sold Seperately)
Giant robots? Check. Big desert to fight in? Check. Two diametrically opposed groups to pilot the giant robots? Check and check. Well, that settles it, then. Heavy Gear Blitz! has everything. Okay, maybe not everything everything. It does not come with a ham sandwich. But it has everything you could want from a game, and that's close enough.
March 21, 2009: The World Of Munchkin Revealed!
After weeks of hard work, our new webmaster, Russell, has given us a snazzy new Munchkin web design. It should be much easier to find all your favorite Munchkin loot on the new pages, and you might even turn up some stuff you hadn't heard about before. We're very happy to debut The World of Munchkin!
We'll keep making tweaks, of course, and we're very interested in your opinions -- why not swing by the forums and tell us what you think of the new design?
Thanks for all your hard work, Russ! (And thanks to Jimmie and the rest of the staff for giving Russ all the support he needed to get the job done!)
-- Andrew Hackard
Warehouse 23 News: Great! Unbelieveably Relevant Printed Stuff!
GURPS Space is back. So is GURPS Fantasy. And GURPS Magic? Yup, got that one, too. "How is this possible," you ask? "Quite simple," we reply. We got some nice people to print out a whole bunch of copies for us. But, since we didn't really need more than 4 or 5 for ourselves, we decided you guys can have the rest. (For a modest fee, of course.) So go, get yourself some sweet, out-of-print-no-longer, gaming goodness.
March 20, 2009: Illuminated Site of the Week: The Unreal Deal
Reverend Bob Larson, who appeared in the four-episode TV series The Real Exorcist, doesn't have to come to you to help you with your personal case of demonic possession - he can send you his material on DVD.
Hold on . . . almost three days worth of viewing? Forget it, just take the 21-question Do You Have A Demon? quiz at his site.
-- Suggested by Doug Haxton
Warehouse 23 News: So Long, Galactica
Tonight, the series finale of Battlestar Galactica premieres, and it's sure to fill the hearts of sci-fi fans the world over with . . . well, we wouldn't want to spoil it. In honor of this end to another chapter in science fiction television, we would like to push some stuff in front of your face. You see, just because the series is over doesn't mean you need to stop being a rabid fan. No, sir! There's still Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game! And, unlike this ad, the game is much more than just a cheap tie-in. Buy it today! (Or are ya a dirty frakkin' toaster?)
The following items have been received by the warehouse and shipped off to our distributors. Your friendly local game store should be seeing them any day now!
Munchkin Booty 2 - Jump the Shark
Jump the Shark . . . or you're fish food!
Return to the high seas for more Munchkin Booty action. Fight the Hammerhead Shark -- and the Phillips-Head Shark, too. And greatest of all is the terrible Moby Duck!
So kill them and take their stuff.
On the munchkin side, there are lots of new Ships, and a new Class: the Explorer! He gets a Treasure when he helps in combat, and he can pull cards back into his hand!
This set features four monsters with a new weakness: Current or former members of the real-life Armed Forces get a bonus against them!
112 cards and rulesheet, in a tuckbox. Stock #1461, ISBN 978-1-55634-784-9. $19.95.
GURPS Magic (Reprint)
Now available in softcover (at a lower price!), this book is completely revised for GURPS Fourth Edition. It 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 Basic Set . . . 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 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 Wizards.
This is a powerful book, indeed. Use it wisely.
240 black-and-white pages. Softcover. Stock #01-0101, ISBN 978-1-55634-795-5. $29.95.
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 ways that magic and users of magic can work in a fantasy world.
And, perhaps most important, 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. The softcover reprint contains the same material, with black-and-white interiors and a lower price.
(This is not an update of the Yrth setting presented in the old GURPS Fantasy. For that, we have GURPS Banestorm.)
240 black-and-white pages, softcover. Stock #01-1001, ISBN 978-1-55634-796-2. $29.95.
GURPS Space (Reprint)
The Future Is Yours!
Now updated for GURPS Fourth Edition, this is the ultimate toolkit for any campaign between the stars. Explore options for space travel and technology, from the realistic to the miraculous. Design alien races and monsters. Create campaigns of every style, from science fantasy to space opera to near-future realism. Build worlds, from asteroids to Dyson spheres.
With this book, you can create anything from a single alien beast to a whole galaxy of civilizations and star systems . . . quickly and randomly, or with a detailed, step-by-step process that's true to biology and astrophysics as we understand them today. The softcover reprint contains the same material, with black-and-white interiors and a lower price.
GURPS Space is written by two experienced GURPS creators: Jon Zeigler (author of GURPS Traveller: Interstellar Wars and GURPS Traveller: First In), and James Cambias (author of GURPS Mars, GURPS Planet Krishna, and GURPS Planet of Adventure).
240 black-and-white pages, softcover. Stock #01-1002, ISBN 978-1-55634-797-9. $29.95.
-- Paul Chapman
Despite the seemingly imperative nature of the title Munchkin Booty 2 - Jump the Shark,Warehouse 23 and Steve Jackson Games in no way endorse, condone, or otherwise encourage purchasers of Jump the Shark to send their bodies flying through the air (possibly atop skis, pulled by a boat) over a shark. Sharks are typically very big and always carnivorous. You, being made of meat, would make an ideal shark dinner. We would much rather you stay at home and stay alive, that you may continue to enjoy life (and all the fine Munchkin products life has to offer.)
Where do old pyramids go when their time on Earth is done? This one indulged in one last bit of farewell mind control, channeling itself through Richard Kerr. By energizing the latent powers of his brain and reflecting the resultant highly tuned cerebral rays off a piece of conveniently located space junk (and here you all thought that satellite collision was an accident), it was able to reprogram the genomes of all the hamsters in the northern 40% of Utah. Its reasons for this have not become clear.
Then Richard put it in the dumpster.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: 101 Ways To Keep On Travellin'
If you've got a Traveller game going, you've got a whole galaxy to fill. And all it takes is one wrong turn in deep space to throw your group of intrepid space travellers off your beaten path and onto the road to the planet "Um, Now What?" Problem's simple, but the answer's simpler: BITS. The British Isles Traveller Support line is filled with encounters and cargoes and . . . well, just lots of things you can use to populate an area in a hurry. Best of all? It works with darn near any version of Traveller. Heck, it even works outside the British isles!
Liz Danforth is one of my very oldest friends in gaming. She was the illustrator for my second game, Melee, and in all the years since then we've managed never to fall completely out of touch. Her last mail was interesting . . . I want to see her survey results, and that means I want all you WoW players to get involved! Liz' letter:
I've been preparing an independent research study on skills acquired in World of Warcraft that may transfer to real life. After considerable delay, the survey is now LIVE and ready to go.
I'm dropping this into your inbox in hopes that -- if you play WoW or if you have EVER played (even if you don't play now) -- you will take the survey.
I hope you will all forward this email to anyone you know who plays or has ever played, and ask them to fill out the survey. Friends, co-workers, relatives, student, guild mates and ex-guild mates (all ages) who play or have played are encouraged to take part. Those who opt-in may receive a time card for WoW as described in the survey.
The research is being conducted under the auspices of Dr. Chris Johnson of the 21st Century Learning Group LLC.
Here is the link to begin the survey: http://s-692ke-48878.sgizmo.com/i/17374e3361182p20842
The survey is open until the end of April 2009. Thanks so very much!
So: if you have ever played WoW, hit the link, take the survey, and let's see what Liz finds out.
-- Steve Jackson
You've had a hard day's adventure. The anti-lich potion did, of course, not work at all. You never expected that pit trap to be sitting right next to another pit trap. And, worst of all, you're still pretty sure there's bits of halfling in your gear that you just haven't rooted out yet. So now that you've got a load of treasure to spend, why not spend it somewhere like The Red Dragon Inn? It's the perfect place to rest, relax, and redistribute the party's newfound wealth more . . . "fairly."
Subway stations. Well-traveled hubs of commuter traffic or fell pits of Cimmerian gloom? You make the call.
Or you can let us make the call. And we should warn you, when you leave something like this in our hands, well . . . let's just say we aren't likely to go the "sunshine and candy" route with it. No, we're likely to put out something like GURPS Locations: Metro of Madness. It looks at one particular station through the lens of eldritch horror, arcane mystery, and a general sense of "ooky"-ness. It's also setting-free, so you can drop it into darn near anything.
Anything with a subway, anyway. It might be a little bit of a reach for your players if you dump this into your 13th-century China campaign.
-- Fox Barrett
Warehouse 23 News: Dark, Grim, Darkness. Of Grimness. And Dark.
The world presented in Dark Heresy is, in a word, truculent. Everything that is exists solely to kill you. Even your friends. In fact, they're probably thinking about killing you right now. Especially that psyker. Oh, sure, he doesn't realize he's thinking about it, but that won't matter much once he inadvertently lets some horrid daemon out of the Warp. So what's the bright side? Critical hit tables that say things like "the target is completely encased in fire . . . popping his eyes like superheated eggs."
As you may recall, we recently ran a survey asking about your plans for gaming purchases. The results were interesting, and we thought we'd share them.
- 41% felt you were going to be about the same this year, financially speaking. 27% felt you would do better, and 24% felt like this year would be worse. Less than 10% saw an extreme change (a fairly even split for better or worse) in the upcoming year. Given the gloom and doom media coverage of the economy, I'd say that's pretty good!
- Most of you (58%) planned on buying just as many games this year as last. 17% said you'd buy more; 24% said less.
- The majority (85%) indicated the price could be whatever it needed to be, as long as the components inside the game were worth it. 14% are going to be looking at the price tag first.
- We asked about what you'll be buying this year. 56% chose "Whatever looks neat, new or old." 37% will be sticking with known systems, and 6% will be looking for the newest stuff. This bodes very well for us, given our 2009 releases -- a solid mix of old favorites (Munchkin and Frag spring to mind, of course) and brand new games (Revolution! and The Stars Are Right are going to knock your socks off).
- In terms of where you're going to be buying from, the winner was . . . well, it was a close race. Your Friendly Local Game Store and the publisher's online store were neck-in-neck, with 82% and 85% making purchases at these locations at least occasionally. General online retailers also made a significant showing, with 77% shopping at online retailers not associated with a specific publisher. Most surprising to me was the lack of convention shopping -- 65% said they either avoided laying down cash for games at shows, or couldn't get there at all.
- Over 60% of respondents primarily want new games, but wouldn't pass up a great deal on a used game. 21% didn't have a preference, and 16% needed that "new game" smell.
If you'd like to see details, here's the full response summary.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: Trust Us. It's Science.
Recent studies have shown that gamers enjoy the fantasy genre. We at the Warehouse have long suspected this, but we understand if this comes as a startling revelation to anyone. Now that science has honed in on this penchant for swords and sorcery, we feel we can confidently direct your attentions to things you, as a gamer, will enjoy. Runebound seems like a prime example of what you would find fun. There are swords, people who hold those swords, and dragons that the swords can go into. Enjoy!
Did you know we have a news page specifically for Munchkin?
Well, now you do. It's updated weekly -- more often when news warrants. Check it out!
-- Andrew Hackard
Warehouse 23 News: So What'd You Do Last Night?
Us? We fended off hordes of flesh-hungry undead, using our wits and whatever blunt objects were handily available. You could join in the fun, too, if you'd like. All you need is a board, some counters, and you too can enjoy the Last Night on Earth.
March 13, 2009: Illuminated Site of the Week: Who You Gonna Call?
If your house is infested with demons, the Paranormal Clergy Institute, an offshoot of the Catholic Church, warns you not to take them on yourself . . . that is, unless you've taken their courses. They're all free, unless you want to buy Bishop Long's book. The team can't stress the perils enough, even on their radio show where they promise "fun times and great entertainment!" Kind of makes you feel sorry for the demons.
-- Suggested by Rob Lusteck
Warehouse 23 News: On The Lighter Side
Okay, so not every game need necessarilybe about mind-shattering beasts of blackest night. Some can be about trains! A train game that, perhaps, you could play with children. Or your so-called "normal" non-gamer buddies. Something that wouldn't terrify your parents or fellow church-goers. There is such a game, and you have Days of Wonder to thank. It's called Ticket to Ride, and it's your ticket to a tentacle-less evening. Your SAN will thank you.
Upright banners are the best piece of convention equipment since the fatigue mat. They're portable, can be set up by one person, and are eye-catching. Best of all, they're perfect to have your entire convention crew sign and give to your guest as a keepsake.
During Essen Spiel last October, that's exactly what the Pegasus guys (and the virtual army of Munchkin-mad MIB) did. We've got this awesome gift in the lobby right now.
Big thanks to Karsten, Andy, Birger, and the dozens and dozens of folks who signed our banner and showed SJ, Phil, and Ross a great time!
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: It's Sort Of Like The Game Of Life
You're born, you make friends, you find your place in the word, you take lots of different jobs, you travel, and eventually you are dragged in a hoary netherworld of unspeaking terror and betentacled madness. That's life, in a nutshell. If you'd like a little preview of what you have in store for you, we recommend Arkham Horror. All the soul-crushing horrors of your everyday life in about 2 to 4 hours!
One of the recent upgrades we've made to e23 is a . . . Ok, I have no idea what Jimmie and Thomas did. All I know is that our Paypal processing no longer requires human interaction, which means "buy it now, get it now" applies to both credit cards and Paypal.
This is just one of the many upgrades we've got planned for our favorite PDF store. How those plans link up to the recent construction is left as an exercise for the student.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: Did We Mention The Sale?
We probably did. Once or twice. But good news bears repeating, right? Right. So! We of Warehouse 23 are pulling 10% off the price of all things Steve Jackson Games this week. If you have gotten up to date with all things Munchkin, now would be a great time. (Or GURPS. Or Illuminati. Or, y'know, anything on the site with that little pyramid-lookin' logo thingie.)
After a week of downtime, Warehouse 23 is back online. Some of the construction projects are still "in progress," but things have settled enough for the shipping table to be used. We've got a ton of new storage space, and the reorganization has given us the opportunity to re-think our work flows. It's a bit messy at the moment, but in the very near future, our space going to be better arranged than we've ever had it.
(If you'd like to see pictures of our construction adventures, we'll keep them available for a while.)
Now for the good stuff: As a thank-you for sticking with us, we're running a Warehouse 23 Grand Re-Opening Sale! All Steve Jackson Games products are 10% off for the next week (March 10 through March 16).
So: Thank you for shopping at Warehouse 23! Our Thrilling Tales of Construction continue, but the shipping must go on!
-- Paul Chapman
Yep, more construction news.
If you're looking for your normal Monday morning e23 announcement, I've got good news and I've got bad news.
The bad news is e23, like Warehouse 23, is down today. A few system upgrades required some downtime, but we hope to be back up and running before 3pm.
The good news is we released a bunch of PDFs last week. In addition to the dozen we uploaded for GM's Day, we found GURPS Religion ready in our queues.
As for W23, it'll reopen tomorrow morning. Watch for our Grand Re-Opening Sale!
-- Paul Chapman
Well, not so much attacks, as "gets built." (Construction seems to be a theme around here lately, doesn't it?) After much deliberation, and a bit of searching, we now have a very nice place to meet, or eat lunch, or just enjoy a sunny day.
The whole thing was a kit, as I understand it. All I'm sure of is the speed which it went from start to "Wow, that's going up quick" to "Hey, it's darn near done!" to finished in just an afternoon.
Now we need to add a pair of eyes that can switch between fearful and glaring -- depending on the level of those walking up to it -- and it'll be ready to harrass the munchkins that wander by. More realistically, we'll get a couple of lights added so we can enjoy the cooler evenings during the summer.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: E23: All The Game, Half The Fat
Though they be called Mini-Games, they are grand in number. We recently got the latest of this line in (Demon Wars and War of the Psychic Gods), but you needn't start there. Indeed, we would recommend just browsing the titles for a bit. There are enough genres plugged into this line that at least one is bound to click with your resident flavor of nerdy happiness. Kind of like a shotgun blast. Of joy.
If you're familiar with XKCD and a coder geek, you're likely already familiar with the infamous "sudo make me a sandwich" joke. If not, go read the strip. (For non-coders, "sudo" is a command to use admin privileges without going through the process of logging out and then back in just to execute a single line. Or at least that's what Thomas told me.)
Bre Pettis and Adam Cecchetti have taken the joke a step further, actually creating a device that will stack bread, cheese, and more bread, then slide the pile into a toaster. And, of course, the command requires use of "sudo."
Work is still needed before necessities like bacon or tomatoes can be included in your sandwich, but for a joke made manifest through technology, it works just fine. We truly live in an age of wonders.
-- Paul Chapman
Reminder: e23 will be closed on Monday, March 9 from 12am (aka midnight) until 3pm -- no orders, and more importantly, no downloading your current files. If you need it, grab it over the weekend. The Secret Masters appreciate your patience with our downtime.
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Shoot First, Start Production Later
Most of the really neat guns never see the light of day. Which is a shame. They are, as we just established, really neat. They do weird things like fire caseless ammo or teeny-tiny rockets. For one reason or another, though, they end up in the Land of Misfit Guns. Well, Shooter's Guide: Alternate Arms is your chance to scoop these misbegotten firearms up into your violent little hands and let loose with a little cruel and (very) unusual punishment upon your foes.
This week we're hosting Steve and Leanna Cole, and Steve Petrick, of Amarillo Design Bureau. Shop is being talked, stories are being told, and no evil plans of any kind are being hatched. Honest! Fnord.
Steve and Steve joined us at playtest last night. Steve (Cole) got my seat at the Munchkin game by claiming, truthfully, to be Steve. So Steve (Petrick) and I played a two-player abstract game that we've had around here for quite a while, and I had never gotten to play, and he (in just a few days here) already had. How unfair. Or how lazy of me, as the case may be. Okay, I've played it now. Got whupped twice, too. But I enjoyed it. (No, I'm not telling you what its name is, because we refer to it around here by a working title that makes "Generic Universal Role Playing Game" seem like the height of creativity.)
Tomorrow: The mezzanine gets finished, and we visit some printer (as in computer printer) reps and talk with them about POD printing. ADB has a very good POD operation, and Steve, Steve, and Leanna are willing to share information, so we are listening very attentively.
-- Steve Jackson
Reminder: e23 will be closed on Monday, March 9 from 12am (aka midnight) CST until 3pm -- no orders, and more importantly, no downloading your current files. If you need it, grab it over the weekend. The Secret Masters appreciate your patience with our downtime.
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Enjoy This Roundabout Sales Pitch
Black and white. Two little colors can mean so much. In a strange way, they can sometimes convey more than color can. Consider, if you will, what the film noir genre would have been (or, more preciesly, what it would not have been) had it been in color. It is much the same with 0one's Black & White: Bandits' Trail. The black and white nature of the map gives you a greater sense of contracts between darkness and light, good and evil, life and death. Also, it's just a lot easier on your printer cartridge.
March 5, 2009: e23 Website Maintenance On Monday
On Monday, March 9th, we will be closing the e23 website from approximately 12am - 3pm CST (GMT -6) in order to do some maintenance on the site's billing systems. During this time, customers will not be able to access the site, place orders, or access their file libraries. If you need to have access to any of your files during this time on Monday, we recommend that you download them this weekend.
-- Jimmie Bragdon
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Some Of That Olde Tyme Religion
In the beginning, there was a GM who was tired of using the same-old pantheon, game after game. However, the GM did not know what to replace it with, nor how to create His own collection deities, beliefs, and other related cosmic miscellanea. But then the GM purchased GURPS Classic: Religion, the twelve-dollar guide to life, the universe, and everything. And He saw that it was good.
Today is GM's Day, honoring all the gamemasters out there, running one-shots, multi-year campaigns, and everything in between. In celebration, e23 has uploaded a huge block of new classics later today.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: For All The GM's In The House
If you're a GURPS GM, it behooves us, on this GM's Day, to mention the e23 versions of GURPS Characters and GURPS Campaigns. In fact, we've even got GURPS Characters and Campaigns -- both books as a single handy zip file.
Who doesn't need more books? Well, unless your bookshelves are overflowing, you can never have too many reference books when you're preparing for a campaign. As always, our bibliographies page is a great place to start, and we've added a couple new entries.
Check 'em out, click through to Amazon, and fill that empty space on your shelf!
-- Paul Chapman
Last week's e23 release was The Lair of the Fat Man, an adventure for GURPS Fourth Edition. It's got a big fat villain, stolen military secrets, and a team of agents drawn from four major intelligence agencies.
Sound like a Bond film? You bet! And although the action as written leans . . . well, rather heavily . . . towards a silly Cold War adventure, just follow the boxed advice to tweak it into a spec ops mission, a fantasy dungeon, or even an grad student assignment in IOU!
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: The Keep Keeps Keeper's Keeps!
It's good advertising to keep saying the name of what you're trying to sell over and over again. Helps keep the name of the product in the customer's head. Keeping with that line of reasoning, we'd like to keep you here, so we can keep telling you about The Keep. It's a program that keeps all your GM-y notes, maps, and what-have-you nice and organized. For safe-keeping, you might say. And with a free 30-day trial (see the bottom of the order page), there's nothing keeping you from trying it out!
March 1, 2009: I, For One, Welcome Our New Plushie Overlords
One of the cool things about working at a company that makes games and toys is that we sometimes order up a prototype of a nifty thing, just because we can. For instance, our Chibithulhus have been so popular that Phil decided to order a bigger one. Right now, it's sitting in our office lobby, greeting our guests, while wearing the Horny Helmet. It is big and green and cuddly and wants to eat your soul. The perfect friend for any youngster!
-- Andrew Hackard
Warehouse 23 News: e23: With Apologies To Jethro
Do people think you're just good fun? No? Perhaps what you need is GURPS Lair of the Fat Man. It's a PDF, so don't worry, it's not too much to carry around with you.
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