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Illuminated Site of the Week
November 22, 2009: The Long Hard Road Out of (Editing) Hell
Betcha thought we forgot about In Nomine, huh?
It hasn't been an easy trip for poor In Nomine Superiors: Zadkiel. Fans have been waiting for her for quite some time now. The Archangel of Protection is not one to be denied, however. So now that the book is available for purchase by our eager (and very, very, very patient ) fans, just what's inside? Oh, just every little thing you could want to know about Zadkiel. Her likes, her dislikes. Her hobbies. Her friends. Her enemies. There might even be a little Canon Doubt and Uncertainty, if you're lucky.
But enough of my silly ramblings. This fine book has been delayed long enough, I think.
-- Fox Barrett
There's no need to attach any sort of superstitious aura to Pyramid #3/13: Thaumatology. Yes, it's about magic. Yes, it's the thirteenth issue. But, honestly, those are just words and numbers. When we were putting this issue together, we only had four staffers develop mysterious boils, one computer burst into flames, and six phone calls from people claiming to be the undead mutant clone of Elvis. By our calculations, this was all well within the accepted norms for a publishing house.
The good news? If you ever watched Empire Strikes Back and thought, "I want a sleeping bag like Luke's tauntaun!" you're going to love ThinkGeek's latest offering. And at 67" long, it may even fit most adults.
The bad news? Where are you going to use it? You're certainly not going to take it camping, risking dirt or rips. And slumber parties are few and far between when you're old enough to remember Empire in the theaters. Of course, when has "I don't have a use for this" really stopped you from buying a bit of geekery, anyway?
Just call it a prop for your next Traveller game. That'll work.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Zadkiel: She's Radikiel!
Oh . . . Oh, wow. That was terrible. We couldn't possibly apologize enough for allowing such a monstrosity of a joke onto our website. Here, just take In Nomine Superiors: Zadkiel and go. Our shame is much too great to look you in the eye.
If you're a GURPS fan and don't check out e23's news page regularly, you've missed out on some interesting treats. At the end of last year, we started inviting GURPS authors to submit mini-articles for their supplements. Each "Designer's Note" is about 100 words -- the perfect length to share a bit of insider info, behind-the-scenes revelation, or other inspiration.
Here are Designer's Notes we've run so far:
Besides visiting e23's news page every day, you can sign up to have e23 news delivered via RSS or e-mail. Of course, that has the added benefit of keeping you in the loop of any other interesting e23 developments.
-- Steven Marsh
Warehouse 23 News: Miles to Go Before We Sleep
Over three hundred years in the making, and first mentioned in the Fnordian Prophecies, The Vorkosigan Saga Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game has been a long time coming. And now that it has arrived in our warehouse, it heralds a new age of enlightment, glory, and wonder! (Or, at the very least, no more jokes about how long Vorkosigan is taking.) Come over to the store and be part of history.
Today is the start of BoardGameGeek.Con, the annual gathering of gamers from BoardGameGeek.com. (If you're not familiar with the site, it's a fantastic resource for any fan of games of all types -- board, card, war, or roleplaying.)
We've got a demo team in place, showing off Zombie Dice, Cthulhu Dice, Nanuk, Revolution!, The Stars Are Right, and whatever else we can rope people into playing (like Top Secret Playtest Sets). There's also a small pile of various games that we can exchange for cash or plastic, including the first copies of Nanuk for sale anywhere.
While we will separate you from your money -- gladly! -- our primary focus is going to be teaching and playing games. If you're attending, stop by our area, and learn a new game!
Phil and SJ are also attending, but their attendance is more "vacation" than "convention appearance." In other words, they want to play games and leave the business side back in the office for a few days.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: The Best Idea
Kenneth Hite writes a mean book. And that Robin Laws fellow? He's a pretty sharp guy to have behind a keyboard. Buying their books is a good idea. However, buying something they've collaborated on, like Trail of Cthulhu? That's the best idea.
November 18, 2009: Ultra-Rare Munchkin Item on Sale Today!
Later today, we'll be making an ultra-rare Munchkin item available on Warehouse 23. How rare? We've got just 30 -- that's it.
These items will be sold on a "first come, first served" basis. The first 30 orders will be processed based on the time stamp in our database. If a payment bounces, we'll move on to the next order.
So, what is this mysterious item? When will it become available? Follow us on Twitter (or watch our Twitter feed on the right hand side of the front page) to get hints and the "go buy now!" announcement!
-- Paul Chapman
Of the 3,100 or so files we offer through e23, only one contains the word "Turkey." That product would be Iron Stars: Southern Front. With Turkey Day nigh upon us, it seems only fitting that we point this out. Now that we have made this knowledge yours, it's up to you to put it to go use.
Get it? See, because it's called GURPS Spaceships 6: Mining and Industrial Spacecraft. It's . . . it's a mining pun. Heh? Well, it was funny in my head, at any rate. (Hm. Unfortunate turn of phrase there.)
So this book is all about breakin' and makin'. It's about going out into that inky nothingness and exploiting the ever-loving heck out of its mineral resources. Sure, it's not as glamorous as commanding a deep-space exploration vessel or piloting a snub fighter down the trench of a battlestation. On the other hand, nobody will be shooting at you. Always a plus, that.
Of course, that's not to say that nothing interesting will happen. Improperly secure one drive plate and you might just end up as the god of a race of highly evolved cat-people. Cool, huh? Or you might play pool with planets! That's pretty cool, too. Or you might get impregnated by an alternate-universe version of yourself! That would be . . . hm, that'd just be kinda weird.
-- Fox Barrett
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Tabletop Adventures Sale
If November gets any cheaper, we're not going to be able to afford it. Yet another one of our publishers is running a sale from now through the end of November. It's our friendly neighborhood Tabletop Adventures this time, and they've slapped a 20% discount on each and every one of their products. Take that, MSRP!
Fifteen years ago today, we started the Daily Illuminator to tell our online fans what we were up to on a (mostly) daily basis. It was an experiment, but it worked. It's still going strong today, which makes the Daily Illuminator one of the first blogs on the Internet! As far as we know, it's the oldest one that's still getting updated regularly. In the beginning you can see that we weren't even sure what to call it, since the term "weblog," let alone "blog," would not become widespread for years.
So, for 15 years, the DI has brought you product announcements, sneak peeks at games in development, convention reports, comings and goings of staff, general musings about the industry, and things we thought were just plain cool. So hop on over to the archives and take a stroll down memory lane, or find out what we were doing on your birthday back in the 20th century.
-- Jimmie Bragdon
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Why We All Can't Just Get Along
If games like For The Masses: Fantasy Mass Combat System prove anything, it's that "getting along" is way too boring. A "mass sewing circle" or "mass reasonable debate" game just isn't the same as beating up hordes of The Other Guys. There's probably a profound social commentary to be found in that thought, but we're far to busy selling you cool games to let that worry us. Now go beat some people up!
As promised, we've created a page for all the costumes from our Halloween Game Day. This year we had some excellent ones: Ben as Hamburgler, Alex as Rorschach, Justin as Sweeny Todd, and Jimmie as the Monster in the Darkness. But even the subtle ones were fun, from Will's monkey half-mask to Barbara's antenna. And SJ's freaky eyes . . . it was disconcerting to play a game across from those!
And play games we did! From Pandemic and Castle Panic to Incan Gold and Roll Through The Ages: Bronze Age, we gamers did what we do best. A ton of fun was had by all, and much sugar was consumed.
Now it's back to work -- at least until the Christmas Game Day!
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Vork, Vork, Vork
Yes, even the Swedish Chef has the Vorkosigan Saga Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game. Why don't you?
November 14, 2009: Illuminated Site of the Week: Sun Of A Gun
Remember Rob Cockerham? We mentioned him back in January of 2003. He's the guy who wanted to become the super-shopper by having an army of "cloned" superstore buyers' cards all linked back to him.
Well, it turns out this guy doesn't have an "off" switch – he's always up to some prank or another. It all starts as good fun, but as the light sharpener project shows, eventually one goes mad with power. Now an evil super-genius, he turns his intellect to the task of destroying the world one stick of butter or can of cola at a time. See the many steps required to build such an awesome weapon, and tremble at the thought that if he ever figures out how to point it at the ground at midday, he can liquidate us all.
-- Suggested by Dr. Kromm
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Celestial Redecoration
Rocks floating through space are entirely too placid. If we as a species have learned anything, it's that we excel at making boring things more interesting. GURPS Spaceships 6: Mining and Industrial Spacecraft encourages you to go out into space, find something boring, and make it as interesting as possible. Oh, sure, you'll make some money while you're at it, but this is more about sprucing up asteroids. Really.
Steve Jackson Games releases in March, 2010 . . . or maybe we should say "unleashes" . . .
Zombies and Cthulhu!
We've been working on these dice games very hard for the last couple of months . . . because they're super-fast to play, and play again, and play AGAIN. They really took over some of our playtest sessions, and now we're ready to share. ALSO, note the price and stock number on the first one . . . Why? Because we could.
Zombie Dice
Eat brains. Don't get shotgunned.
You are a zombie. You want braaains. More brains than any of your zombie buddies.
Zombie Dice is fast and easy for any zombie fan to learn, even non-gamers. The 13 custom dice are your victims. Push your luck to eat their brains, but stop rolling before the shotgun blasts end your turn!
3 to 8 can play. Each game takes 10 to 20 minutes, and can be taught in a single round.
13 custom dice, dice cup, and rules. Stock #131313, ISBN 837654320419. $13.13.
Cthulhu Dice
Serving Cthulhu is fun . . . except for all those other cultists out to get you. So get them first!
Cthulhu Dice lets you drive your rivals mad . . . very, very quickly. Players take turns rolling the big, beautiful, custom 12-sided die, embossed with tentacles, Elder Signs, and more. Destroy your opponents' sanity! Better yet, steal it. But watch out for Cthulhu -- when he comes up, he takes sanity from everyone! The last sane cultist wins . . . unless everyone goes mad together. Then Cthulhu wins!
Cthulhu Dice plays in about 10 minutes, and is fun for 3 to 8 players.
One large custom die and rules. Stock #131315, ISBN 837654320396. $4.99.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Dog House Rules Sale
A handful of books from Dog House Rules are now on sale! Hit that hyperlink if you like things that are cool and enjoying spending miniscule amounts of money. The sale ends on November 30th, for reasons we dare not explain! (Mostly because they're, y'know . . . really boring reasons.)
I'm finally back from the largest boardgame convention in Europe. (I actually returned before Halloween, but between the jet lag and the mountain of e-mails, this post got pushed back a bit!) The trip was fantastic -- the number of games blew my mind, as well as the gamers themselves. MIB from all over Europe attended and provided support for Pegasus Spiel, our German translator. They were all top-notch, both while running games and when acting as "Munchkin mascot handler."
Yes, the mascot made several appearances at Spiel, including cheering on the munchkins playing in the Munchkin European tournament. Mega "thank you!"s to Christian, Danny, and Maria for guiding the mascot around the crowded halls. Special thanks to Marko from Croatia, for guiding the mascot when he was out of the suit and providing the photo to the left. (My biggest regret of the show was leaving my camera in the hotel room. Every. Single. Day. So if you attended Spiel '09, and got a good photo of the mascot -- or just have a good online album of images from the show -- shoot me a link at paul@sjgames.com!)
And of course, many, many thanks to Birger and the Pegasus crew for hosting Ross and me. We're both looking forward to returning next year!
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: When Is a Sandbox Not a Sandbox?
When it's "minis terrain." Just make sure you're playing with the Paper Miniatures: Desert Warriors Set in a proper sandbox. There are these other boxes of sand that cats enjoy, and they most certainly do not build castles in them.
We would like to clear up some confusion about the state of our front door. The rumors of several accidental activations of the shark tank are completely unfounded. For that would presume we have sharks, you see, and such an idea is completely insane. We would have to keep them fed! And a shark can eat something like two or three unwanted solicitors a day. Um, hypothetically.
The construction you see here is . . . cosmetic. We're just prettying up the place. You should feel perfectly safe entering our office via the front door.
(Oh, and for the nay-sayers* out there: You've heard of sand sharks, right? That's right -- with lasers!)
-- Paul Chapman
*Also for the nay-sayers: Seven birds in two days is completely reasonable, as long as we all work together.
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Box Set! (Box Sold Separately)
The Dungeon of Terror: Virtual Box Set does not, in fact, come in a box. It's virtual, you see. With all the maps and charts and bits and bobs you get, you're virtually getting the same amount of stuff you would get in a box set. But there's no corporeal box to speak of. Seem confusing? Fret not, it makes its own kind of sense.
Not one, not two, but three new releases await you on e23. The first of them is GURPS Infinite Worlds: I.S.T. This tiny text talks about how to integrate the International Super Teams setting into the Infinite Worlds setting. Which makes sense, really, given the infinite nature of Infinite Worlds. The best part is the price. We're selling this one for the low-low price of absolutely no money at all.
Nice, huh? So how do you follow an act like that? Why, with the GURPS Range Ruler, of course. This puppy has everything you need to quickly and easily calculate range modifiers. No longer must you resort to such arcane and obsolete methods as looking in the book or retaining every single rule in your head. For so helpful a tool, you'd think we would charge 300 or 400 dollars, easily. But no! This most helpful of help-things is yours for the asking.
But wait! There's more! We also have Car Wars Expansion Set 6 - The AADA Vehicle Guide Counters for you. (Or "CWRS6TAADAVGC," as we say around here when we wanna be brief.) This collection of cars, trucks, and other wheeled death machines is perfect for playing Car Wars. You might have guessed that from the name, but the title is a bit long, so I felt it was worth mentioning in case you missed it. This one isn't quite as free as the other two releases, I'm afraid. But two outta three ain't bad, right?
-- Fox Barrett
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Blowing Stuff Up
Terra Nova is having a pretty lousy time. The CEF have rolled into town, and they seem to have taken up the hobby of blowing up everyone's stuff. The bad news is that people are rapidly running out of stuff. The good news is we now have more excuses to make robots blow one another up! Shattered Peace - The War for Terra Nova Book 1 has the details.
Seems a bit early, I know, but if your office is anything like ours, you and your coworkers are starting to schedule projects around the "everybody's going to take off early this day" and "no one is coming in on New Year's anyway" events. Here's our holiday office closure plan; it won't help your schedule, but it makes us feel more organized.
- Thanksgiving. The office, including Warehouse 23, will be closed November 26 and 27.
- Christmas Game Day. We'll be playing games on December 11, so while some of us will be in the office, we won't be as quick to reply as normal.
- Christmas. The office, including Warehouse 23, will be closed December 21 through January 1. We'll be back on January 4.
e23 will be processing orders and delivering digital product as normal during all office closures. However, Fox -- who handles e23 customer service emails and calls -- won't be available.
Now go organize your holidays!
-- Paul Chapman
We don't reall know what Freakshow - Body Parts is about. We, uh, probably don't want to. But you go ahead! If nothing else, a title like that guarantees you'll get something interesting.
As promised last year, we're returning to BoardGameGeekCon this November (the 19th through 22nd, to be precise). Look for Revolution!, The Stars Are Right, Nanuk, SJ's new dice game, and much more in the hands of our crew.
If you've already gotten your badge, we'll see you there! If not, well, they've already sold out -- their location has a limited capacity, and they've already filled it. And after last year, it's easy to see why: wall-to-wall games, being played by people who love dice and boards, cards, and meeples.
It's a good place to find a new game, to try out the ones everyone is talking about, and to get new ways to play the classics.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Not Really Just for Players
The HERO System Advanced Player’s Guide is for players only! See there in the title? It says "Player's." No GMs allowed! (Well . . . unless, you're also a player sometimes. Then, okay, you can buy the book too. But we'll be keeping an eye on you!)
Gnomes. Yes, gnomes. Apparently unhappy with being demoted from "player character race" to "monster" in the latest edition of that game, they've begun terrorizing teens in Argentina. The Sun has the story; YouTube has the blurry videos.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Easy Advertising
GURPS Infinite Worlds: I.S.T. is a free GURPS supplement. The GURPS Range Ruler is a free game aid for GURPS. Spending any more time convincing you how totally awesome they are is uneccessary, as you can simply go download them and experience them first hand.
As we mentioned back in May, Justin is back on staff. While he was away, however, he wasn't just putting starbursts around pictures of puppies: he was designing a game.
Castle Panic is a cool cooperative game in which the players defend their towers against an onslaught of goblins, ogres, and boulders. It's tense, fun, and great for gamers and non-gamers alike. Like Pandemic or Arkham Horror, the board is trying to crush the players, but with Castle Panic there's a sense of whimsy that makes it more accessible to non-gamers -- and it doesn't take hours to have the game beat you.
As you can tell, I love the game quite a bit. If you'd like a bit more objective review, there are quite a few excellent posts on BoardGameGeek that summarize the gameplay nicely. And once you've decided to buy it, Warehouse 23 has copies in stock!
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Big Words, Small Car
Car Wars Expansion Set 6 - The AADA Vehicle Guide Counters has a rather cumbersome title. Funny, too, when you consider how teeny the counters themselves are. But perhaps it just speaks to the strength of these cars, that they have so massive a moniker. Which makes sense, really. We are talking about cars with missiles tied to the bumper.
In typical fashion for this project, the routine customs examination turned into a week-long "let's x-ray every container" exercise, pushing the release of the Vorkosigan Saga Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game back. But don't worry! I've received word that the print run has arrived in our warehouse, and copies will start shipping out next week. Look for them on store shelves the last week of the month.
To keep your mind off the impending arrival of such an anticipated book, I offer a trio of sneak peeks. First, we have a pair of pages about ships -- the sort that cross interstellar distances. These, of course, are background material. Gearheads will want to check out the starship design system on pages 184 to 207 of the full manuscript.
The second peek is of vital interest once you have a ship, and you want to do something illegal with it. Yes, smuggling may not be the oldest profession, but it's still quite a bit of fun.
Finally, we look at the engine that drives roleplaying sessions: complications. In Miles' world, things like greed and vengeance have their place, but so do duty, family, and honor.
That's it for sneak peeks! The physical book will be available in a few weeks, and the PDF is available right now.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Come Sale Away
Arion Games likes to save you money on metal miniatures by offering up cost-effective paper alternatives. Well, they must have felt they weren't saving you nearly enough, because all Arion Games products are now 20% off this month. Savings on top of savings? It's like some kind of wonderful savings sandwich, and you're right in the middle, baby!
November 4, 2009: What Does an RFID Field Look Like?
That's the question design consultants BERG asked. The answer -- which they discovered via clever use of a stop motion camera and an LED -- is both informative and beautiful.
The link to the blog is here, but take the time to watch the video. The illumination in motion elevates the entire experiment to art.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Heck of a Name
Time was when people were named by their profession. Bob Baker baked, Sally Smith smithed, and nobody talked about what the Humperdink family did. So one has to wonder just what the heck would get someone the moniker "Warbringer." With any luck, Dungeon Crawl Classics #63: The Warbringer’s Son will shed some light.
Not satisfied with traditional LEDs, researchers in South Korea and Spain have developed an organic molecule that emits orange and blue light in the proper ratio to form pure white light. In the past, molecularly produced light has always had a colored tint, sharply limiting its uses.
At the moment, the molecule is significantly less energy efficent than a normal LED, but this, says the scientists, was just proof of concept. But when production brings down the costs, these mini-mini-mini-bulbs will have a broad range of applications, from clothes to personal electronics. Yep, the world of Ultra-Tech is one day closer.
-- Paul Chapman
We now have Colonial Gothic: Witchcraft available for purchase on e23. It's perfect for running a spooky game during a spooky time of year. Hurry and buy your copy today, because Halloween is only 362 days away!
Most adventurers aren't too picky which holy symbol the cleric has on his shield. Their only concern is that he's following a deity that grants healing spells. Oh, and if he could put that shield at the front of the party, that would be swell, too. But not all gods are created equal. Some are rather nice. Some are bit temperamental. Some require their priests to wear silly hats. Some only grant spells that turn chickens into wine. Point is, there are lots of different kinds of gods. So why aren't there lots of different kinds of clerics?
Well, now there are! We've got a book called Dungeon Fantasy 7: Clerics that addresses this very issue. It offers up 15 different kinds of deities to worship, and lays out how the holy men and women for each one would work, and suggests appropriate rules stuff.
Oh, and on page 36, there's a bit about a magic weapon called a "Sacred Shovel of Zombie Beheading." Enjoy!
-- Fox Barrett
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Book Book Book
e23 has books! Sometimes, we get new books. And we can proove it! See, here's Gaslight Demons. It's a new book. Come buy a book!
In the "Who really needs this?" category is James Dyson's newest invention, the Air Multiplier. In simpliest terms, it's a bladeless fan.
Does it move more air than a normal fan? Not really. Is it more energy efficient? Nope. Is it safer? Well, yes, if members of your household -- small children or production artists, for instance -- have problems sticking their fingers into whirling blades.
But is it hundreds of dollars safer? That's right, this wonder of innovation costs $300 more than the desk fan you can pick up at your local big box store. Sure, it has a certain geekiness to it, but so does a Munchkin Bobblehead. Sit one of those next to your average desk fan and you'll maintain your geek cred -- and your cool -- for a fraction of the Air Multiplier's price.
-- Paul Chapman
Hey, gang. We've got some more royalty free art for you, courtesy of Postmortem Studios again. It's ZelArt 3: Female Fantasy this time, a collection of fantastic females (or pictures of them, anyway) for you to put in . . . well, whatever you want! Canned adventures, setting books, PowerPoint presentations, whatever. They're not picky. They're pictures!
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