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Illuminated Site of the Week
The first two entries into the Action series gave us nearly everything needed for campaigns modeled after the summer movie blockbuster. Car chases, clever crooks, big guns, explosions -- fast, fun . . . But where are the ninja?
Action 3: Furious Fists proves that they were there all along -- you just couldn't see them. They're ninja, after all. But it doesn't stop there. No, heroes of all types who prefer to bring the pain with bare hands are covered: the hulking big guy, the untouchable fast guy, the athletic traceur, and the lethal-weapon master.
Ok, I can see the ninja have your attention. Now for the clincher: see the author credit? Yep, that's Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch.
And if that doesn't sell it for you, well, I don't know what will.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Patience Has Its Place
As all parents have said, patience is a virtue. Sadly, sometimes the wait isn't worth it.
But for Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game, the wait is both over and worth it. The PDF is available now!
And if you still have some bits of patience left, the hardcover is scheduled to ship in October.
Josh Levin recently wrote an article for Slate Magazine in which he discusses various scenarios for the end of America, at least as we know it. One of the experts interviewed for the article was futurist Jamais Cascio, author of the Transhuman Space books Broken Dreams and Toxic Memes. Levin's article quotes Cascio and has a video interview with him as well.
Congratulations, Jamais!
-- Andrew Hackard
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Why PK Is Doing What He's Doing
You heard about Jason "PK" Levine becoming Assistant GURPS Line Editor, right? Wondering how he did it?
Read GURPS Psionic Powers. The awesome factor of this book explains the situation just fine, especially when you consider that, despite the yummy crunchiness of each of the 85 pages, Dr. Kromm himself found virtually no rules issues with the first draft. That, my friends, simply doesn't happen.
August 29, 2009: Illuminated Site of the Week: They're Feeling No Pain
Can science create zombies? Well, not as far as YOU know. Can it explain zombies? Oh, absolutely, in all kinds of mutually contradictory ways. Can it describe the behavior of zombies in rigorous mathematical fashion? Well, that's the kind of question that could keep us all going for hours.
Except that the University of Ottawa beat us to it.
When Zombies Attack!: Mathematical Modelling of an Outbreak of Zombie Infection (the extra L in the title is the result of Canada in general) is 18 pages of equation-filled goodness, which, to quote the abstract, concludes by showing that "only quick, aggressive attacks can stave off the doomsday scenario: the collapse of society as zombies overtake us all." For extra credit, visit the site of one of the authors, Robert Smith?. (Yes, his name does include the punctuation. Click the link and read for yourself.)
-- Suggested by Pascal Godbout
Warehouse 23 News: The Stars Are Right . . . Right Now!
TSAR is hitting shelves as we speak . . . or type . . . or read -- man, digital publishing makes proper verb choices confusing! Ok, how about this: in Warehouse 23, right now, you can point and click your way to owning a copy of this Cthulhu-themed puzzle/card game fusion.
I hope that conveys the thrust of the idea. Fox makes this look so easy!
If you'd like to learn more about the cryonics organization Alcor, the open-house session at SJ Games has been rescheduled for this Saturday, August 29, from 4 to 5 pm. This is an opportunity to talk with both Alcor members (including yours truly) and Alcor staff. (We assume that if you are a local Alcor member, you already know about the emergency-response training session set for Saturday and Sunday, and we hope you're planning to come, but if you can't make it to the training, do feel free to come by and visit at 4.)
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Get Your Revolution! On!
You've heard us blabbing about it all summer (and before!). You've seen the reviews. Now it's time to get your own copy: Revolution! is available in Warehouse 23.
Wait, no -- wrong kind of Sherpa. The Munchkin Sherpa is a sturdy holder for a pen or marker (particularly those with a brand name that rhymes with Harpy). We ordered a bunch to give to people we really, really like . . . and since that includes our loyal fans, we're planning to make a very small number available in the near future. (These are premium items, so probably not for the casual collector . . . but they're worth it!) In the meantime, we figured we could give you a glimpse. Click the picture for a larger version.
Watch this space for the announcement of availability!
-- Andrew Hackard
Warehouse 23 News: Looking for Pathfinder?
Shortly after D&D 4e was released, Paizo announced they wouldn't support it. In fact, they planned on releasing their own evolutionary step forward from D&D 3.5. They called it Pathfinder.
Now the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook is out, and judging by the "oops, we're out" notes I've been seeing around the net, something in those 574 pages are interesting. In fact, Paizo has announced their first print run has already completely vanished from their warehouse. Don't worry, though; W23 has copies, should you decide to dungeon-delve via the new-school version of the original old-school.
It seems the Marines have banned Facebook, Twitter, and a host of social networking sites from its bases. Not too much of a surprise; after all, you don't want soldiers to get sucked into Mafia Wars, right?
Wrong, according to the Pentagon's social media czar, Price Floyd -- that's right, the Pentagon has a social media czar (although they call him "Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs"). "We need to be everywhere men and women in uniform are and the public is. If that's MySpace and YouTube, that's where we need to be, too," said Floyd. Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, agrees; he's been Twittering for about three months. And last June, the Army directed all its bases to allow access to Facebook.
"It's an interesting time to be alive" seems like such an understatement. Read the full story on CNN.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Everything Errata'd Is New Again
Welcome, e-citizen. Here shall you find the shiny new tomes for HERO System 6th Edition. They're mostly new, because this is a new edition. It's still HERO though, so you know it's good. The steady march of progress combined with the reliability of a trusted companion? It's like a salesman's dream! We mean gamer! Gamer's dream! Hey, look, here's some links. One for Characters, one for Combat and Adventures, and one for a bundle of both. Say hello for the first time for the sixth time!
August 25, 2009: Well, I Would Buy 500 Times . . .
A couple of weeks ago, e23 (our digital publishing project) passed a milestone that we think is pretty neat. All of the items in the Top 20 "What's Hot" list have sold at least 500 copies each. This comes about six months after each item there had surpassed 400 sales, which is about eight months since each item had sold 300 copies. In other words, our bestsellers keep selling, and the rate at which they're selling is increasing! Awesome!
In addition, just a few days ago we welcomed the fourth item to have crossed the magical "1,000-seller" barrier: none other than Sean Punch's excellent GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 1: Adventurers. This series has made a lot of fans very happy, and we're obviously thrilled by it, too -- especially since this volume is the youngest item among the Top Five sellers!
So to all of our e23 customers out there, thank you for your continued support. We honestly couldn't do it without you. And if you haven't tried e23 before, why not check out a few of the freebies on our samples page?
-- Steven Marsh
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Writing Sample
As you open the hatch, a hiss of air escapes as the compartment depressurizes. Power has been off in this section for days, so only your shoulder light illuminates the room. Your light glints off a disc spinning silently in the middle of the room. From the label you can see it contains a copy of Into the Future: Derelict Starships. You take it with you, because the person writing this advertisement likes happy endings.
Hey, Pyramid, you just reached the tenth issue of your latest incarnation! How do you feel?
What's that? You're a magazine? You can't talk? And we're not even talking, this is being written down by one person who's pretending to have a conversation with an inanimate object? And you say I should seek professional help immediately? Wow!
There you have it, folks! Pyramid #3/10: Crime and Grime is the latest of our greatest, and there's yet more to come from this pluckly little juggernaut. Oh, I should mention what this issue is about, too! Um. Crime, I think. Fantasy-related crime to be specific. Oh, and there's some grime on a couple pages. Enjoy!
-- Fox Barrett
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Nope, Nothing Specific
Haven't got any one product to call out today. Just a quick note to mention how awesome the stuff from Expeditious Retreat Press is. If rolling d20s is your thing, they've got you covered on both sides of the edition spectrum. Lands of Darkness? That'd be for people entranced by the number four. Advanced Adventures? That's for the THAC0-sians among you. It's a poly-polyhedral party!
After 14 years of running GURPS by myself, stealing hours from staff editors when I desperately needed help, I have a full-time accomplice: Rev. Pee Kitty, otherwise known as Jason "PK" Levine or simply PK. His official title is "Assistant GURPS Line Editor," and he started on Monday, August 10, 2009. He will gradually take over the day-to-day draft-reviewing and stats-checking of GURPS supplements, leaving me more time to plan products, edit, and write. When I'm planning or editing – and thus away from writing – PK will be doing some staff writing, too. In short, we'll be sharing the load. I'm still the boss of GURPS, reviewer of proposals, and court of last resort in all matters GURPS-ish, but PK is my official stand-in . . . so please give his rulings the same weight as my own!
For the curious, PK was chosen on the strength of many years of playtesting experience and stats-checking, most notably his heroic efforts on the three crunchiest books in the Fourth Edition gamut: GURPS Martial Arts, GURPS Powers, and GURPS Thaumatology. He also demonstrated serious stats-crunching and writing chops in the GURPS Creatures of the Night series and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 5: Allies. His masterpiece, though, was writing GURPS Psionic Powers with so few rules hitches that I was relegated to commenting on style and usage. My feeling is that anybody capable of crunching that kind of crunch is up to the challenge!
So let's give a warm welcome to PK!
-- Sean Punch
Warehouse 23 News: e23: We're History!
Two thousand years from now television producers will still need television shows to produce. And, like any good producer would, they will look back to see what has come before in order to build what shall come next. The premise of Diana: Warrior Princess is that they'll look back to, oh, about now-ish. Give or take a couple hundred years. So Elvis is fighting alongside Otto von Bismarck . . . it's not like anyone will really care, right?
If you like video games and have a wicked sense of humor, you likely already read Penny Arcade, a webcomic with enough followers to pull off their own massive convention. How big? Big enough to crossover from digital games to the board and card game hobby, with a vengeance. And we're going to go!
Last year, Will, Randy, and Phil attended, and had a great time. The staff was fantastic, the attendees delightful, and the weather, mysteriously, was sunny and pleasant. (Isn't Seattle supposed to be overcast 24/7?) This year, we're adding a couple of people to the roster -- myself and SJ, to be precise -- as well as the Munchkin mascot, for those of you with cameras in hand, or on your phone/DSi/mobile device.
We'll be running Revolution!, The Stars Are Right, Frag Gold Edition, and the recently announced Nanuk. Seeing us at a table of Munchkin and Munchkin Quest isn't out of the question either. Heck, we may even roll some d6 for a GURPS game, if we get a chance!
If you're attending, look for us in the open gaming area, playing games. If you spot us in the exhibit hall, we'll be staring slack-jawed at Valve's zombies and Ubisoft's assassin, or guzzling Mana Potions, or going deaf by hanging around Harmonix. I also have it on good authority that Genesis Games & Gizmos will be on hand, with fully stocked shelves ready for your Munchkin impulse buys.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Keep the Peace! Or Not.
Your call. Pyramid #3/10: Crime and Grime isn't judgemental. It'll just offer up seeds and advice for running games involving the law in the forgotten days of yore, when things were all magicy and stuff. And for getting soap scum off your shower tile.
We all made it back from Indy earlier this week. Despite a rash of travel-related mishaps reported from other attendees, and the threat of "significant weather" in Chicago, none of our crew was delayed more than a few minutes. Even more remarkable, we seem to have skipped the con crud entirely this year!
The show, to put it bluntly, rocked. Our demo space was jam-packed the entire time, often with more people watching the games as were playing. Andrew ran Munchkin Quest Gauntlet for everyone from kids younger than Munchkin itself, to folks with more gray hair than me (and that's saying something these days). Phil showed no mercy during his Frag Gold Edition sessions; at one point, he racked up a half dozen frags in less than 15 minutes. Will taught Revolution! to 50+ people every day, and I saw The Stars Are Right so often I . . . well, I saw stars.
Oh, and the mascot? Randy couldn't take two steps without somebody asking for a photo. He even made the front page of the Indianapolis Star's Gen Con coverage. Woot!
But it wasn't all just playing around. The very serious task of selling also occurred, with Munchkin Quest, Revolution!, and The Stars Are Right all selling completely out, along with Munchkin Fairy Dust and Waiting for Santa. Heck, pretty much anything with the word Munchkin on it sold out.
Today, everyone is back in the office, cleaning up their inboxes, sorting through the piles of photos we took (watch for them on our Flickr page soon!), and getting ready for PAX in two weeks. Two weeks? Yikes!
One More Store Visit for Randy!
Randy is stopping at The Source this afternoon from 6pm to 9pm, and doing his usual demo-tastic thing. Learn to play Revolution! from the master! Ask for a Munchkin bookmark! Find out if he's back to the manly beard or if he's kept that silly goatee thing from Gen Con!
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Unconsidered Science
Battle Axe just keeps expanding. We recently received Expansion #5, Factions and Expansion #6, Elemental Powers. That begs the question, though. What is it expanding into?
With all apologies to Wolfgang Petersen.
The picture shows one of our two prototype Munchkin dice rollers, hand-crafted by Matt Drake of VixenTor Games. The picture doesn't show the storage tray in the heel of the boot, or the nifty felt lining that keeps the dice from making an unholy racket, but they're there and very nice.
We're keeping this one. The other one was given to Scott Picha, this year's Munchkin World Cup winner, at Gen Con.
And how can YOU get one of these? What an interesting question . . .
-- Andrew Hackard
Randy Returns to Paddy's!
Back in June, Randy visited Paddy's and had a great time. Now, the lazy bum our wandering demo man is returning! He'll be showing off Revolution! and The Stars Are Right, as well as answering questions about upcoming games, from 6pm to 9pm today. So after work, head over and play some games!
Sure, you've got monsters. Need a goblin raiding party? No problem. Skeleton horde? Done. Cadre of insane cannibal halflings? Easy peasy. But what if you just need to map out the inn? (Don't ask "What inn?" There's always an inn. It's in the rules, trust us.) Sure, you could populate the inn with your monsters and try to convince your players that this ogre is "really a cute minstrel, guys, I swear!" Or you could just let Paper Miniatures: Fantasy Inn Set come to the rescue.
We've all done it -- the game is too good to stop, so we power up with a highly caffeinated beverage. Turns out, an inventor in New Mexico is thinking the same thing for gas-powered engines. The new fuel delivery system still requires about 25% hydrocarbons, and a gallon of "gamer's delight" runs about $4, so the invention isn't an Exxon killer quite yet.
But next summer? We might be choosing between driving the car or staying up an extra hour.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: It's What's on the Inside that Counts
We've got this great game! It's an RPG about squaring off against demons. All the characters are high school girls in Japan. Some of them might have psychic powers.That's a mixed blessing, of course, because the powers are precisely what's attracting the demons. And it's all packed together with a slick layout and a streamlined set of rules. The name of the game? Panty Explosion! No, seriously. Hey, wait, come back!
Take one part YouTube, one part augmented reality, and one part competition. Mix with a bunch of geeks in an open-source setting. The result: The World Series of 'Tubing.
Competitors chose their top videos from YouTube, and the AR rig projects the images on a pair of special symbol cards. The audience votes for their favorites via laser pointer. The entire event is fun and competitive -- just the sort of thing AR needs to fire the interests of the next generation of developers.
Or maybe it'll end up like VR -- a cute toy with more hype than utility. That's the thing about the future: you never know which one you'll get . . .
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Sit. Stay. Phase through Solid Matter.
Familiars RPG might be a really cute, fast, and easy way to introduce young gamers to roleplaying. It might also be an exercise in hilariously ineffectual "carnage" as you tell a group of bloodthirsty dungeon divers that this week's game will be about magically-attuned pets. This is what's known as a "win-win."
We interrupt this ad for a brief news report. (Yes, we know it usually works the other way. Deal with it.) Anyway: There are about 20 slots open in the upcoming UltraCorps test game; if you've been meaning to try it out, now's your chance. We now return you to the next paragraph.
For as long as there have been Important People, there have been Bad People Who Hurt Important People. I think it's one of the Great Cosmic Laws or something. (Kinda like how needless capitalization is always funny.) Now you and I both know, if Transhuman Space is to be believed, that the future is not a safe place. In fact, it's probably a lot less safe. You could be assassinated by flesh-eating nanobots that can reduce an adult human to a wet stain on the floor in four or five seconds. Or maybe that Girl Scout isn't a cute little girl, but actually a cyborg outfitted with the latest chameleon tech and trained by the best black-ops operatives in the world. Your car could eat you.
Paranoid yet? Great! Now you're in the right mindset for Transhuman Space: Personnel Files 4 - Martingale Security. This book details a bodyguard firm, which is precisely what any high-profile socialite living in the 22nd century needs. They are ready, willing, and able to crash through the window, grab the ambassador's head, twist it off, and hurl it out of the back door mere seconds before it explodes. Oh, you didn't realize that ambassador was actually a bombhead bot? See why you need these people now?
So pick up the book today. Your 110-year-old ghost living in the bioshell of a Felicia bioroid teen idol named "DJ Meow Mix-A-Lot" will thank you.
-- Fox Barrett
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Vegetables Are People, Too!
Sort of. Kind of. Look, that's the gist of Veggie Patch, so you'll just have to roll with us on this one. It's really not so weird, once you think about it. After all, there's Veggie Tales, right? And Flaming Carrot? And . . . Okay, yeah, it is pretty weird. But weird can be good!
According to experiments done by the University of Claude Bernard in Lyon, France, the human brain can quickly incorporate mechanical tools into its "body map." This may make advanced prostheses a little less science fiction, and a little more "tomorrow." Read the full story here.
If your brain will accept an artificial replacement for an organic part, I wonder how quickly it would take to adapt to a giant scorpion tail. 'Cause I've always wanted one of those . . .
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Meta, but in the Good Way
Hollyworld is is probably the only roleplaying game you'll ever play that treats tvtropes.org as a player's guide. And if that's not enough to sell this gem, we don't know what is.
Nanuk
Winter is coming. The doomsayers are sure your hunt will fail. Can you prove them wrong?
In Nanuk, players are hunters of the frozen north. Each player in turn will boast of his prowess, telling how long he can stay on the hunt and how much he will bring back. Your fellow hunters can support you, but if you boast too much, they may turn against you, dooming your hunt. Beware Nanuk, the great polar bear, for he can end any hunt in failure. If you find an inuksuk, it will protect you -- once. If the hunt is successful, the hunters all share the animals collected, including the doomer's ante! But if the hunt fails, the doomers reap the rewards.
Nanuk is a fast-playing, highly social game of bidding and bluffing for 5 to 8 players.
6.25” x 9.25” x 1.75” box, with 100 cards, a mounted gameboard, 17 chipboard counters, and a rulesheet. Stock #1422, ISBN 837654320358. $27.99.
+6 Bag O' Munchkin Babes
Another Official Munchkin Plastic Bag!
Extra bonus -- free Munchkins!
These six female Munchkin pawns are scheduled to appear in a 2010 Munchkin Quest supplement . . . but if you want them early, here they are! You get one in each of the six Munchkin Quest player colors. The obvious thing to do would be to throw them into your Munchkin Quest box along with the ones that came with the game, and use the correct pawn for whatever sex you character happens to be at that moment.
But if you are truly evil -- and your friends let you get away with it -- you'll show the world just what a munchkin you really are by using the Munchkin Babes in other games.
In Munchkin
Any time you are entitled to go up a level -- or when you do something that WOULD earn you a level if you weren't already Level 9 -- you may, instead, place a munchkin pawn in front of you. In any combat, you may discard it for a 1d6 bonus. You may only have one in front of you at a time. Unless, of course, you "lose" these rules and tell the other players that you're allowed to have more. Six is a good number.
In Other Games
Because you're a munchkin, you may claim a munchkin advantage for using these pawns in ANY game. For instance:
- In any roll-and-move game, if you use the munchkin as your pawn rather than one that came with the game, then once per game you may add or subtract 1 space to the move you roll.
- In any game in which you start with money, if you use the munchkin as your pawn you start with 10% extra. Round up, of course.
- In chess, a munchkin pawn can move forward two spaces at any time.
If you create your own official rules for using the Munchkin pawn in other games, please share your rules with us at the Steve Jackson Games forums.
Six plastic female Munchkin Quest pawns, in six different colors, polybagged with a punched header card. Stock #5505, ISBN 837654320334. $5.99.
Munchkin Kill-O-Meter
Munchkins love it when the cards start flying! The best combats are the ones where potions, monster enhancers, and other bonuses keep the effective levels bouncing up and down! But it can be hard to keep track. Now you'll never have to stop and recount again!
With the Munchkin Kill-O-Meter, whenever a card hits the table, you turn the dials to keep track of your new total. Fiendishly simple. You can use it with any flavor of Munchkin, including Munchkin Quest.
The Kill-O-Meter comes with two special bonus cards (one for Munchkin and one for Munchkin Quest) -- and since the dials can be read from either side, we put munchkins on one side and monsters on the other. (And would you believe that making it two-sided let us REDUCE the cost? Printers are funny!)
One two-sided combat counter. Stock #5506, ISBN 837654320341. $6.99.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: A Dog Eat Flesh-Eating Cybernetic Abomination World
The 22nd century isn't safe. They have robot dogs! Think about how dangerous a dog is . . . now think about how dangerous a robot is. See?! We're all going to die! Or rather, we would if not for the nice people featured in Transhuman Space: Personnel Files 4 - Martingale Security. Their whole schtick is keeping people safe from whatever is making them less-than-safe. Robot dogs included.
August 14, 2009: Illuminated Site of the Week: Take The Monoatomic Gold And See How Far The Rabbit Hole Goes
Alchemy gets an update for the new century: It now comes in powder and liquid forms. The Blue Emerald wants to usher you through the Membrane so you can see Truth as it truly is and not as part of the Faketrix, as the site settles on calling it. Eat the Truth, drink it, bathe in it if you have to . . . you paid a couple hundred for the three forms of "Activ8," so you get to make that call. And you'll do it through new eyes, once you've entered your Ultrabeing.
-- Suggested by Jerion Evans
Warehouse 23 News: e23: We Don't Plan, We Improvise
Does a pulp hero spend hours trying to calculate precisely how he's going to get into that Nazi castle? No! He just jumps out of the Zeppelin and assumes everything will turn out okay, one way or the other! And that's exactly the sorta game Spirit of the Century is. So grab two fists of dice and leave your min-maxing at the door. It's time to have fun, jumping-out-of-a-plan-towards-certain-doom style!
August 13, 2009: Illuminated Site of the Week: ". . . 'Cause I Am Programmed to Take Care of You"
You like your robots, right? So do firefighters, if it means not getting blown up. No longer limited to bomb-disposal units, Man's mechanical offspring now assist London emergency responders. Tanks of gas pose special dangers even after a blaze, and QinetiQ offers a series of robots to help. BBC News has the story and the video.
-- Suggested by Marcus Rowland
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Here Comes the Brain Train
We know what you're thinking. "I could totally outrun a zombie." Sure, you keep right on thinking that. You keep living in your happy world, blissfully unaware of the Zombie Rally. Us? We're going to buy some new running shoes.
Today's the day the Austin crew flies off to Indianapolis for "the best four days in gaming" aka Gen Con. Our flight leaves quite early -- not a problem for Phil, but I expect to require some extra caffeine. Oh, and the Salt Lick stand in the airport won't be open yet, so I'll be leaving Austin without BBQ in my stomach for the first time in years.
Once we get to the show, our first task will be setting up our booth. Yes, Adventure Retail will still be handling all the money-taking and Exact Change Dances, but we've got 400 square feet of demo space. Andrew will be running a nifty mini-dungeon from Munchkin Quest, and Phil will be overseeing an all-day, all-weekend Frag Gold Edition match. Will and Randy will be showing off Revolution! and The Stars Are Right. (Me? I'll be covering for whichever lunatic is currently in the Munchkin mascot suit. And running for drinks.)
We haven't tried an in-hall demo prescence since the Orbital Mind Control Satellites were Weather Control Balloons, so this is kinda exciting for us. If you're in the hall, stop by booth #1321 and say hi!
If you're not in the exhibit hall and still want to play some games, our loyal MIB are rocking a wide variety of demos, tournaments, and general dice rolling/card playing activity. Check out the big list here.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Smoke on the Water (Or Table?)
Grand Fleets is a game of, um, grand fleets throwing hunks of metal back and forth as they vie for supremacy over the open sea. And by open sea, we mean your gaming table. Which we hope isn't also your dinner table, since they may not be so willing to give up their hard-fought gains.
Revolution!
Blackmail the printer. Threaten the innkeeper. Bribe the priest. Welcome to Revolution!
Secretly bid against your opponents to gain the support of the people, win territory . . . and gather more Gold, Blackmail, and Force for the next round of bidding! Will you try to control the tavern or the fortress? The harbor or the plantation? Knowing where to push for support -- and where to back away and let your opponents fight -- is the key to victory. It's a game of bluff, counter-bluff, and surprise.
Bidding tokens have different shapes and colors for easy identification. Colorful cardstock shields keep your bids private, and provide a handy rules reference during the auction. Traditional wooden blocks allow players to see at a glance who controls which territories.
Revolution! is for three or four players. The rules can be taught in minutes, and a complete game takes less than an hour. Each new game brings new strategies and tactics.
Get ready for Revolution!
11.75" x 11.75" x 3" box, with 100 wooden cubes, a mounted gameboard, dozens of chipboard counters, four sets of bidding boards and screens, and rulesheet. Stock #1902, ISBN 978-1-55634-793-1. $39.95.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Variety Is Also the Spice of Death
"You stab him for 10 damage" is only going to get you so far in life. Eventually, your players are going to want something a bit more descriptive. Something along the lines of, "Your sword enters his duodenum, spraying gore across the dungeon walls and causing him to stumble back . . . oh, for 10 damage." Thankfully, 10 Million Ways to Die is here to help.
I don't care what anybody around here tells you. Ninja are where it's at, buddy. Oh sure, pirates sound great. High seas. Shoulder-mounted pets. Punctuating everything wtih "arrr." Yeah, y'know what else they have? Scurvy. Go ahead, bring that one up on the ol' Wikipedia. I'm sure it has lots of fun pictures. Me? I'll be sticking to the shadows.
Now, if you want your games to be as cool as ninja are, you're going to need GURPS Classic: Japan. This thing is wall-to-wall ninja. Ninja sneaking into castles, ninja stabbing guys in the head, ninja wearing awesome black outfits. It's like NinjaCon. Y'know, if ninja had a con. Which they don't, because that would kind of defeat the purpose of being hidden. Or maybe they do, and it's just an empty con hall with no signs. Hmmm. Er, sorry, I seem to had gotten off track. Anyway, buy the book, because ninja totally rule!
. . . I have just been informed that there's stuff in here about Japan's culture and history, covering the Warring States Period and the later bits of the Tokugawa shogunate. Um. I guess that stuff is pretty neat, too.
-- Fox Barrett
Warehouse 23 News: e23: That's Just What They Want You to Think!
We've got this book with 100 Conspiracies in it. Oh sure, it says it's for games. It says it isn't real. But how do you know that's not just a smoke screen designed to discredit those who see The Truth?! The Truth is out there! And in here! And over there! And, oh, there's some Truth stuck to your shoe!
Because someone (Paul) has to get the Daily Illuminator queue nice and full before he departs for Gen Con, someone (still Paul) is making me write a piece about my thoughts on Gen Con. You, the lucky reader, get to join me on this rambling journey of forced autobiographical musings. Thanks, someone (Paul again)!
So why are my thoughts on the impending Gen Con of particular note? I've never been to the show before. In fact, this'll be my first honest-to-goodness gaming con. I've only done the anime scene up to now, with A-Kon being my largest. Thomas, one of our IT guys, convinced me early this year that Gen Con was "omigawdsomuchfun." Because I have a nasty habit of trusting my friends, I believed him. Now, several hundred bucks lighter, I've got a badge and a ticket!
A train ticket, in fact. See, Thomas also convinced me that it would be fun to take a 30-hour-or-so train ride (one way!) to Indianapolis. It would seem I have poor taste in friends. Currently, I am deciding what mental illness I want to develop as a result of the two train rides. Not sure if want to go full-blown Ophelia-style delusion or a quiet sort of Elwood P. Dowd wacko.
I'm only doing Friday and Saturday, and I don't really know what the heck I'm going to do with myself when I get there. Normally, I'd be all about that playing of cos, but since I'm out of my element, I daren't subject the fine denziens of Indianapolis to my costuming "skills" just yet. As of this writing, I'm still unsure if Fantasy Flight is going to have the Pegasus expansion for Battlestar Galactica there, but that's easily what I'm most looking forward to. Oh, and Randy (our playtest co-somethingorother) has told me to get in line early for some event called "Hentai Dubbing." What could possibly go wrong?
I suspect I'll spend most of my time drifting aimlessly from one place to the next, slack-jawed and scratching my head. If you wave at someone and he dives behind a garbage bin, you've probably waved at me. Still, feel free to yell at me through our Twitter account and let me know what So Awesome thing a newbie Just Has To See at Gen Con. Or just yell at the guy with brown fedora, the slack jaw, and the nervous twitch to come over and look at whatever cool game you're playing. See you in Indiana!
-- Fox Barrett
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Seems Misleading, Is All
"Steampunk." We get the "steam" bit. You use steam to make your Incredible Portable Human Decombobulatotron work. But where's the "punk?" Paper Miniatures: Steampunk Set is quite nicely made, to be sure, but there's not one mohawk in the entire set. No saftey pins or metal spikes or anything? Aw, man.
At Gen Con, we'll have a box or two of our newest Munchkin experiment: fin-seal packs! Each will be 15 non-randomized cards, with foil highlights, for classic Munchkin. Fairy Dust will hit store shelves in late September or early October; Waiting for Santa will start shipping about a month later. Both will sell for less than $4 per pack.
Oh, right -- Gen Con. At the show (and at booth #1321, to be specific), we'll have a couple dozen loose packs, without the lovely point-of-purchase box your FLGS will be displaying them in. Rather than miss out entirely, we took a snapshot of our printer mock-up, so everyone can see our first POP display since . . . wow, really? Since INWO?
We expect these to go fast -- very, very fast -- at Gen Con, so if you want one, stop by our booth early.
-- Paul Chapman
Unless you're reading this in the evening. In which case, make that: Konbonwa! Oh, or you might be reading this in the morning. In which case: Ohayo! Sheesh, being multicultural is really hard. All we wanted to do was tell you that GURPS Classic: Japan is now available for purchase at the store! Yare yare.
As everyone knows, a good portion of the Austin crew will be at Gen Con Indy this year. (Come see us at booth #1321!) For most of us, it'll be just another show. But for a couple, this year will be their first time -- their first national convention in fact!
If you're a newbie like them, talk to your friends who have attended before. You'll have fun, no doubt, but controlling how much you pay for that fun -- in terms of dollars, sore feet, frustration, and blown budgets -- requires some preparation. Here are some of my best tips.
- Wear good shoes. Consider a pair of those gel inserts. Have backup shoes, and twice as many socks as you think you'll need. (You'll be surprised at the rejuvenating effect a fresh pair of socks has!)
- Drink lots of water. It's healthier than soda, and it'll keep your voice from leaving you in the middle of a game of Are You A Werewolf?
- Shower every single day; twice if necessary. Don't be afraid to change clothes more often than you would at home.
- Be prepared for lots of walking. Don't weigh yourself down with a ton of minis, books, and costume. Do weigh yourself down with a camera -- you're going to see at least one costume you'll want to share with friends, and snapping a photo is a quick and easy way to remind yourself of a game you played!
- While there are lots of restaurants within walking distance, be prepared for the waiting list. If possible, schedule meals for before or well after the usual "rush" times (aka noon for lunch, and 6pm for dinner).
- Good advice from a veteran: Adam Jury (Catalyst Game Labs' head of Media Design and Production) has excellent tips, broken up into two posts (here and here) on his blog (which is a good read even outside of con season).
- And finally, the Ultimate Guide to Gen Con: The Keeper of Ancient Gen Con Lore. This Indianapolis native has attended more Gen Con events than you can shake a stick at, and his site is very worth a read.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Not, Free, But . . .
The Paper Miniatures: Fantasy Court Set? It's only fifty cents! Functionally, that's so close to free that you'd need to use an electron microscope to see the difference! (Sort of. Kind of. Just take our word for it, okay?)
Nope, just not as catchy a title as "The Stars Are Right." That's good, 'cause otherwise the boxes that arrived in our warehouse yesterday wouldn't be nearly as useful.
Our translation of Pegasus Spiele's Die Sterne Stehen Richtig has survived the trans-Pacific crossing (although tales tell of six officers who will never be able to sleep in the dark again), and made its way to our warehouse. The decontamination process apparently went smoothly, but we're well equipped with fifth-dimensional entity removal experts.
No matter the trials the game has gone through, it should be on store shelves in early September. If you're at GenCon next week, we'll be playing it 'round the clock . . . well, actually just during exhibit hall hours, but I'm sure someone would be crazy enough to help you out with a midnight game.
Just don't expose it to moonlight. Not yet, anyway.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Build London in a Day
Rome? No, that'd be impossible. But something a bit further down the timeline? Like Paris in the Middle Ages, or London during the Renaissance? Yeah, you could probably swing that. Of course, you'd need City Builder: A Guide to Designing Communities. It's a compilation of the books in the excellent City Builder line from Skirmisher Publishing. It's also generic enough to be used with any game system. In fact, you could use no game system whatsoever and just make some towns! Honestly, we don't really care, so long as you buy the PDF. And boy, is it a nice one!
We spotted a couple of new Revolution! reviews this past weekend. First, Adam Hoffman posted an excellent description of his experience at Vault of Midnight in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Phil and Will hung out there after ProtoSpiel, and ran a game or two.
Next, David over at Purple Pawn played the game at Origins with Will, and wrote a review. He also touched base with the designer, Philip duBarry, and talked a little about how the game came to be. Click over for the review; stay for Philip's peek behind the curtain of taking a game from DIY to full-scale distribution.
All the feedback we've gotten from this past year's demos has been fantastic, but we can't wait for the wider market to see this game. The warehouse reports the container arrived safely, and they've been shipping them out to your FLGS as quickly as possible. Copies should be on your store shelves in late August (or early September, depending on where you are)!
-- Paul Chapman
Pictures good. Bad Baby Clip Art, Fantasy Locations good. No have hard word stuff. Words make brain part go bleedy-hurty.
I got interviewed for The Setup, a website on which people talk about the tech gear they use to get the job done, and what they might LIKE it to be. I enjoyed reading the others, and writing up my own . . . and since I'm about to go computer shopping, this gives me access to the ideas of some very savvy people. So, cool. My thanks to Daniel Bogan for inviting me on board!
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Picking Up Steam
Tanks are neat. Steampunk is neat. Steampunk tanks? If the back of your head didn't just go "pop" from how awesome steamtanks would be, then please proceed to Land Ships, Set 1, Mini-Game #90. If it did go "pop," um . . . you should probably locate a healthcare professional very quickly. Or a mop. Maybe both.
August 3, 2009: "Why'd We Come Down Here, Again?"
Treasure is, at the end of the day, pretty much the whole reason you went into the dungeon in the first place. Yeah, yeah, "rescue the whoever," "save the village," "evil lich," blah, blah, blah. All dungeon crawls, regardless of their launching point, rapidly become a "kick door, kill thing, take stuff" affair. The "take stuff" bit is where things get really good. Or I suppose it's more proper to say "where you get really good things."
With all the time spent assembling the dungeon itself, populating it with snarling things to kill, and writing up some cheap excuse to get everyone down there, you might not have the energy left over to think up all the cool stuff they're going to steal! I mean "liberate." This is where Dungeon Fantasy 6: 40 Artifacts comes in. Forty different weird and wonderful items from the fantastic mind of Sean Punch are presented, ready to be dropped into your game at a moment's notice.
Finally you can stab first and ask questions (about treasure) later.
-- Fox Barrett
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Buy More Stuff!
Sorry, sorry. We just get so excited some times. These two new Battle Axe expansions - Expansion #3, Beast and Expansion #4, Monsters - we got in give us another opportunity to bring attention to the core game. In turn, it also gives us something that's sure to interest people who already own the core game. How great is that? Wait, don't answer that! You haven't got time for silly questions that are, on reflection, mostly rhetorical anyway! You've got things to buy from us! Scoot, scoot!
In less than two weeks, we'll be heading out to Indianapolis for GenCon. Most of us will be on the clock, running demos, dancing in the Munchkin mascot suit, and having Very Important Meetings. A lucky few will be actually going to play games. (Frankly, I was unaware this was an option.)
If you're at the show, stop by booth #1321. We will be about halfway back in the exhibit hall, about two aisles to the right of the central food vendor. Look for our huge demo space; we'll be running Frag Gold Edition, Revolution!, The Stars Are Right, and a special version of Munchkin Quest -- details to be revealed later. Adventure Retail, as usual, will be handling the money-taking part of the transaction, and we'll have copies of everything we're demo'ing available for purchase. Plus more Cthulhuiana stuff than you can wag a tentacle at.
Also, there will be Exact Change Dances. And stickers. And possibly gloriously pink bags.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: They Belong In A Museum
There's no shortage of cool things to be had in Dungeon Fantasy 6: 40 Artifacts. Just the same, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to call "dibs" before you slay Pimdook the Insurmountable. Avoids all that nasty "I totally didn't mean to set your dwarf on fire, really, honest" business.
August 1, 2009: Illuminated Site of the Week: Stonehenge Is So Last Millennium
Or rather, next millennium. Turns out it's not the oldest monument in that neighborhood by about a thousand years. Researchers at the Damerham Archaeology Project have discovered temples and tombs nearby, and they'll study them if they can get ploughs to stop rolling through there long enough to stick some stakes in the ground. Check out the story at the National Geographic Society; it's what all the hip kids are doing. Then again, we are coming to the party 6,000 years late.
-- Suggested by David Cunnius
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Speaking Of Ars Magica . . .
Are we harping? This might be harping. But what can we say? We love Atlas Games! We love Ars Magica. It's like a great big ol' love party, but with dice and PDFs. So yes, though we did use this space to talk about Ars Magica for the last few days, we don't feel too bad about using it that way again. You see, we just got in a PDF called Houses of Hermes: Societates. That means all the Houses of Hermes books are now up on e23! That means maybe you'll buy two books to go with this one! Yay, Atlas Games!
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