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Daily Illuminator Archive for December 2024
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December 1, 2024:
One of my very favorite movies is the absolutely hilarious 1985 cult classic Clue. The boardgame of the same name (originally called Cluedo in the United Kingdom) was released an unbelievable 75 years ago and was an instant hit.
Starring Tim Curry and Madeline Kahn, Clue was released nearly 40 years ago and still stands up as a cinematic masterpiece to those who love it . . .
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December 2, 2024:
A real quick-and-dirty way to get inspiration for your tabletop RPGs is "good, but bad." That is, you start with a premise of something advantageous to the heroes (or others in the campaign world), but couple it with something troublesome. You make the two aspects intrinsic to each other, such that you can't have one without the other . . .
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December 3, 2024:
The Steve Jackson Games Holiday Sale is here! Now through December 16, you can get up to 23% off select games and accessories . . .
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December 4, 2024:
Apparently I've never recommended this site that's been pinned to my Bookmarks Bar for over a decade?!? Weird . . . . .
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December 5, 2024:
A Drop of Nelson's Blood (also known as Roll the old chariot along) is a well-known sea shanty with a catchy melody and a ridiculously simple structure. If you want to get the vibe, I really like the Longest Johns version . . .
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December 6, 2024:
If you're a gamer on a budget – or just want to try before you buy – see if your local public library loans boardgames. Speaking personally, my own nearby library has dozens of great games: a diverse collection of various themes, play styles, and complexity . . .
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December 7, 2024:
World War II history has always fascinated me, as have tales of spycraft and subterfuge. That's why it's been so cool to learn how Monopoly was essential to the Allied war effort.
Yes, that Monopoly . . .
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December 8, 2024:
A recent article notes that automaker Hyundai is planning to move back to physical buttons in cars, after customers seem to be rejecting touchscreen controls. Speaking as someone who doesn't much care for tapping on a screen while I'm driving 70mph on the interstate (and owns a Hyundai!), I'm intrigued by this news . . .
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December 9, 2024:
If you're anything like me, you've called Elasmosaurus or Mosasaurus a dinosaur only to be immediately excoriated by the nearest paleo nerd, quick to tell you why that's dead wrong.
You see, those are merely dinosaur-like reptiles (big ol' fossil guys with names ending in "saur"). There weren't any aquatic dinosaurs . . . at least, not contemporary with the dinosaurs we're thinking of . . .
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December 10, 2024:
I recently attended BGG.CON at the Hyatt Regency Reunion Tower in Dallas, and there were over 2,500 players present!
A few of our team members staffed a booth in the exhibit hall, and we featured demos of some of our newest/coolest releases, including Car Wars Orange/Purple, Pathfinder Revolution!, and Hack & Slash Deluxe. This was 5-day con, and while the library did close at night, gaming was otherwise happening aoround the clock! . . .
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December 11, 2024:
Our household is currently enjoying a few different Advent calendars, with daily treats from IKEA, cheeses and hot sauces from Aldi, and Professor Charlie's World Tour. And I've drooled over the various LEGO Advent sets in stores . . .
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December 12, 2024:
All-you-can-play arcades are popping up around the nation. They've become incredibly popular in recent years, and for good reason: One admission price covers, as the name promises, as many games as you'd like to play! . . .
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December 13, 2024:
If you're looking to set an appropriate wintery landscape and are of a certain geeky mindset, NASA has posted an eight-hour rocket-engine fireplace on YouTube. It also has an incredibly amusing closed-captioning . . .
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December 14, 2024:
Munchkin experts Will Schoonover (our Munchkin Line Editor) and Devin Lewis (the Munchkin Associate Developer) were interviewed last month by Manny Ortiz from Really Dicey!
The conversation, which you can view here, discussed the origins of Munchkin Shadowrun, the art direction, illustrator Lar DeSouza, and how Shadowrun came to be combined with the Munchkin universe.
In addition to all the classic fun and puns you've come to love in the original fan favorite, a new mechanic has been added to Munchkin Shadowrun: the Matrix track. Will and Devin discuss how this mechanic allows players to win in an all-new way . . .
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December 15, 2024:
I swear . . . last time I checked, I was grumbling about Christmas decorations being for sale at the same as Halloween decorations were up, and now I look at the calendar and suddenly December 25 is a handful of days away. Time has no meaning . . . . .
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December 16, 2024:
XKCD has a fun comic called "Ten Thousand" that talks about the mathematical idea of "something everyone knows" by adulthood and the numbers needed to make that work; the upshot is that, each day, folks are just learning about things that "everyone" knows. There are (very roughly speaking) about 10,000 such folks (at least in the United States) – "the lucky 10,000."
Helping out those lucky 10,000 is one reason we repeat info in different ways – like the downloadable, printable holiday cards and gift tags we make freely available on our site . . .
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December 17, 2024:
A while back we had a special treat: How to Be a GURPS GM: Combat Encounters. This Sean Punch-written supplement was originally only available for a limited time as a special promo item for Warehouse 23 customers . . .
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December 18, 2024:
The future is what you make it. The future is also what makes you, in Transhuman Space . . .
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December 19, 2024:
How do you handle fumbled dice? Does out of the dice tray (if you use one) but still on the table count? . . .
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December 20, 2024:
Winter is here (well, technically it starts tomorrow!), and it's the perfect time of year to stay indoors reading and playing games. While the holiday shipping deadline may have passed, you can still find great gifts during our Solstice Savings Sale . . .
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December 21, 2024:
The Steve Jackson Games office and warehouse will be closed beginning Saturday, December 21, for our holiday break. We'll return on Thursday, January 2, and shipping will resume at that time.
But don't worry – the Daily Illuminator will continue! . . .
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December 22, 2024:
In 2004, the folks behind the Penny Arcade webcomic decided to take their community to the next level and set up a show that was a celebration of games and gaming culture. The Penny Arcade Expo, aka PAX, has grown ever since, expanding to multiple shows across the country and even an Australian show . . .
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December 23, 2024:
Last year I had some not-so-humble suggestions for how to make a gift certificate (such as those for the wondrous Warehouse 23) a little more exciting. So, when the holiday spirit spurs you to gift-giving greatness, consider taking a little extra time to make the gift-getting experience even better . . .
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December 24, 2024:
Sure, you probably think it doesn't make a lot of sense to go to a movie just for the popcorn bucket. As a counterpoint, consider the awesome plastic coffin for the Nosferatu movie . . .
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December 25, 2024:
I'd like to direct your attention to The Mien Bestiary, an art book full of fantastical creatures by Emily J Stegamos which is on Kickstarter right now! Emily is an Atlanta-area artist I've admired for some time, and I was recently fortunate enough to get her to illustrate something for a game that I designed . . . which you will hear about in due time, as it's a piece for an upcoming SJ Games project that isn't quite ready to be revealed! In the meantime, you can also follow her on Facebook and check out her creatures! . . .
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December 26, 2024:
When I prepare Daily Illuminator material, I like to double-check that I haven't talked about something before (or, at least, not recently). So, when I crafted my recent post discussing the XKCD "Ten Thousand" comic, I did some research on our site . . .
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December 27, 2024:
If you live in a household with some folks and you all game together, here's a holiday idea: surprise yourself! Figure out how many game days you want to play this holiday season . . .
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December 28, 2024:
It's time to start thinking about New Year's celebrations! Our household has found that New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are perfect times to play games . . .
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December 29, 2024:
You know you shouldn't pick up a duck in a dungeon. Period.
But what about elsewhere? . . .
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December 30, 2024:
Late pledges for One-Page Bulge Second Edition are open now! This project is a collaboration between Steve Jackson Games and Dana Lombardy, of Lombardy Studios . . .
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December 31, 2024:
I recently (finally!) had the opportunity to play a fan-favorite Steve Jackson game, Deadly Doodles.
Deadly Doodles, which features art by Katie Cook, is a fast-playing family game that plays up to four people and is suited for ages 8+. Players draw paths in a dungeon to try to score the most points . . .
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