March 3, 2025: Rodger B. MacGowan

With all the foofaraw of the past couple of weeks, an important and sad bit of news got by me. On February 21, only weeks after his studio was destroyed by wildfire, Rodger B. MacGowan passed away.

Rather than pretend I was on top of things and write a late obit, I asked our mutual friend Dana Lombardy for the best links honoring Rodger's life, and of course he came through. If you admired Rodger's work, you can pay your respects by reviewing just how much he did for the hobby:

• Official RBM profile on the c3i website

• Rodger B. MacGowan "In Memoriam" post on BoardGameGeek

• Remembering RBM on CardboardCommander.com

• A YouTube tribute

• GoFundMe for the MacGowan family

-- Steve Jackson

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March 2, 2025: "You're Listening To FNRD – Forever, And Ever, And Ev-"

What if tuning into a specific radio station caused it to stay stuck on that radio station, unable to change the channel? No, it's not a Black Mirror episode; this really happened (as I recently found out and had to giddily post here) to drivers of certain Mazda cars back in 2022, who tuned into one channel: public radio station KUOW, in Seattle. And, yes, just that radio station – not anyone else tuning into FM 94.9 elsewhere.

Basically, anyone who tuned into that station in their affected Mazdas found themselves stuck on that channel. It also messed up some in-car computer systems in other ways, breaking back-up cameras, Bluetooth, GPS, and more.

The reasons are kind of interesting, if you're a geek. (Basically, KUOW was sending out cover-art images without file extensions, which freaked out the Mazda's software.) There's an article on the topic here, and a somewhat more in-depth . . . [more]

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March 1, 2025: It's Back From The Past: GURPS Classic: Time Travel Adventures

If you're going to go back in time, maybe you want to do something more interesting than traveling to the first Daily Illuminator entry. Maybe you're searching for adventure! We've got you covered.

Behold! After being unavailable for decades, GURPS Classic: Time Travel Adventures is back – as a PDF or in print!

This collection of three adventures for the different campaign frameworks found in GURPS Classic: Time Travel will take you . . . pretty much everywhere, from getting involved aboard the sinking of the Titanic (spoilers, I guess?); to untangling a cross-time mystery involving the destruction of the Great Pyramid at Giza; to visiting an alternate Earth where magic and science go hand in hand.

When it comes to classic adventure, there's no time like the present! Err, the past. Err, it's complicated. Anyway, get GURPS Classic: Time Travel Adventures, only from Warehouse 23!

. . .

[more]

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February 28, 2025: Why Are There Game Designers?

I think it's a valuable question to ask! I'm re-reading The Well-Played Game by Bernard DeKoven this week and reflecting on his answer to that question. To understand why we need game designers, let's first understand the process by which games emerge.

Let's say you and I are hanging out together, and we want to play a game and experience something particular through that play. If it's something simple, like "I want to toss the ball back and forth with you," that's easy – we simply do it. As we do so, we may implement new rules to refine and clarify that experience (don't let the ball touch the ground, don't "double-tap" the ball, don't toss the ball overhand, etc.).

What do we do if we want something really specific, though? What if we want to play, "the feeling you get when you're on a boat looking out at the shore, and the world seems soft and flat and sublime, . . .

[more]

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February 27, 2025: Update On Kickstarters

It makes me very happy to see how well the Fighting Fantasy Kickstarter is rolling along – just shy of $185,000 in support as I write this! – and we have an important new announcement coming "real soon now." Please consider backing this project if you haven't . . . among other things, these books are a great gift for the non-gamer you know who should be a gamer!

As for the Lorescape terrain tiles . . . over 5,500 people have signed up to follow, and you can join them here. Just click the link so you're notified when this launches in a few days.

(As for me, I'm still at GAMA and things are going from great to better.)

-- Steve Jackson

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Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule

A pendant from Munich defenestrates the file. March 3, 2025: Rodger B. MacGowan With all the foofaraw of the past couple of weeks, an important and sad bit of news got by me. On February 21, only weeks after his studio was destroyed by wildfire, Rodger B. MacGowan passed away. Rather than pretend I was on top of things and write a late obit, I asked our mutual friend Dana Lombardy for the best links honoring Rodger's life, and of course he came through. If you admired Rodger's work, you can pay your respects by reviewing just how much he did for the hobby: • Official RBM profile on the c3i website • Rodger B. MacGowan "In Memoriam" post on BoardGameGeek • Remembering RBM on CardboardCommander.com • A YouTube tribute • GoFundMe for the MacGowan family -- Steve Jackson Share this post! March 2, 2025: "You're Listening To FNRD – Forever, And Ever, And Ev-" What if tuning into a specific radio station caused it to stay stuck on that radio station, unable to change the channel? No, it's not a Black Mirror episode; this really happened (as I recently found out and had to giddily post here) to drivers of certain Mazda cars back in 2022, who tuned into one channel: public radio station KUOW, in Seattle. And, yes, just that radio station – not anyone else tuning into FM 94.9 elsewhere. Basically, anyone who tuned into that station in their affected Mazdas found themselves stuck on that channel. It also messed up some in-car computer systems in other ways, breaking back-up cameras, Bluetooth, GPS, and more. The reasons are kind of interesting, if you're a geek. (Basically, KUOW was sending out cover-art images without file extensions, which freaked out the Mazda's software.) There's an article on the topic here, and a somewhat more in-depth . . . [more] Share this post! March 1, 2025: It's Back From The Past: GURPS Classic: Time Travel Adventures If you're going to go back in time, maybe you want to do something more interesting than traveling to the first Daily Illuminator entry. Maybe you're searching for adventure! We've got you covered. Behold! After being unavailable for decades, GURPS Classic: Time Travel Adventures is back – as a PDF or in print! This collection of three adventures for the different campaign frameworks found in GURPS Classic: Time Travel will take you . . . pretty much everywhere, from getting involved aboard the sinking of the Titanic (spoilers, I guess?); to untangling a cross-time mystery involving the destruction of the Great Pyramid at Giza; to visiting an alternate Earth where magic and science go hand in hand. When it comes to classic adventure, there's no time like the present! Err, the past. Err, it's complicated. Anyway, get GURPS Classic: Time Travel Adventures, only from Warehouse 23! . . . [more] Share this post! February 28, 2025: Why Are There Game Designers? I think it's a valuable question to ask! I'm re-reading The Well-Played Game by Bernard DeKoven this week and reflecting on his answer to that question. To understand why we need game designers, let's first understand the process by which games emerge. Let's say you and I are hanging out together, and we want to play a game and experience something particular through that play. If it's something simple, like "I want to toss the ball back and forth with you," that's easy – we simply do it. As we do so, we may implement new rules to refine and clarify that experience (don't let the ball touch the ground, don't "double-tap" the ball, don't toss the ball overhand, etc.). What do we do if we want something really specific, though? What if we want to play, "the feeling you get when you're on a boat looking out at the shore, and the world seems soft and flat and sublime, . . . [more] Share this post! February 27, 2025: Update On Kickstarters It makes me very happy to see how well the Fighting Fantasy Kickstarter is rolling along – just shy of $185,000 in support as I write this! – and we have an important new announcement coming "real soon now." Please consider backing this project if you haven't . . . among other things, these books are a great gift for the non-gamer you know who should be a gamer! As for the Lorescape terrain tiles . . . over 5,500 people have signed up to follow, and you can join them here. Just click the link so you're notified when this launches in a few days. (As for me, I'm still at GAMA and things are going from great to better.) -- Steve Jackson Share this post! Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule		Latest Videos You are the 2180th fnord fancier here today. (30458615 since August 1, 1995)