Daily Illuminator Archive for January 2026

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January 1, 2026:

I’m Something Of A Monitor Lizard Myself . . .

I acquired a large, curved screen from Freecycle a few months ago. At 3440 × 1440, it takes center stage on my desk and has been a huge benefit to my work environment . . . read article

January 2, 2026:

GURPS Year In Review

With the new year starting a mere three weeks from when I'm writing this, SJ Games is between its fall and winter breaks. We rarely see new releases or major progress on projects during this stretch, and I know for a fact that there will nothing for GURPS in December . . . read article

January 3, 2026:

Less Than 10 Months Until National Wolf Awareness Week!

If you're looking for a fun motivation for the supervillain in your life, you might find interesting inspiration from the National Day Calendar website, listing all those odd declarations for days, weeks, and months you hear about on the news ever so often . . . read article

January 4, 2026:

Exercises For Waiting: Hands

When I recently had to be somewhere where I wasn't allowed to have a phone or book, I remembered Steven's post about what to do when you're not doing anything at the game table. It got me thinking about what I could do that was relatively subtle yet could still occupy a small portion of my thoughts as I waited my turn . . . read article

January 5, 2026:

Trivia Question: Mu/Nu?

Last year I posted a couple of questions derived from our master database: What item are we selling that's the first alphabetically (answer here), and what item(s) are we selling last alphabetically (answers here). I was poking at the database again, and – as I type this – we have 7,101 items in there . . . a nice round number . . . read article

January 6, 2026:

Setting A Tone

When I sit down to make plans for an upcoming fantasy RPG campaign, I like to listen to music filled with the same themes. The Sword is the first band I noticed that really leaned into fantasy themes . . . read article

January 7, 2026:

Come Sit At The Silly Table: Toon Second Edition Is On BackerKit!

Hilarious and chaotic antics can be found on every page of the new edition of Toon: The Cartoon Roleplaying Game, open for pledging on BackerKit. If you've ever wanted to enter the world of classic Saturday morning cartoons to build characters and adventures full of absolute absurdity, this might just be your new favorite RPG! . . . read article

January 8, 2026:

Free Webinar For Zine Creators

Kickstarter is, as all know, a friend of zines. Our own TFT zine, Hexagram, was launched through their continuing ZineQuest project . . . read article

January 9, 2026:

Crowdfunding Progress

Crowdfunding continues to go well! The Fighting Fantasy project for books 6-10 has concluded, breaking a quarter-million dollars! . . . read article

January 10, 2026:

More Roaming To And From Rome

Earlier in December, I talked about a site that's an atlas of all roads in the Roman Empire. As I'm wont to do, I invited folks to chat on the forums about it . . . read article

January 11, 2026:

Life Lessons From Zombie Dice

As I discussed recently about life lessons learned from Munchkin and Illuminati, I couldn't help but think of one of my favorite pick-up-and-play games: Zombie Dice!      • It's best if you're supportive of others' efforts to strive for more . . . although "best for whom" is murkier.      • No matter how much you have in the way of brains, one wrong shotgun will put an end to your plans.      • It's generally impossible to know what to do next until you've done something first.      • You can still win even if all you're doing is mindless tasks.      • It's better to let opportunity run away, if the alternative is losing your head . . . read article

January 12, 2026:

If You Think About It, Isn't A Microchip Just Sand?

I'm always looking for cool set pieces . . . for my games, in my descriptions, to quell the gibbering voices seeking novelty . . . So this one really caught my eye: a digital hourglass . . . read article

January 13, 2026:

Exercises For Waiting: Feet

In a recent post, I mentioned that I had to wait without a book or phone, which is also something I've had to do at the gaming table between turns when other players have a lot of steps to get through on their turn. If I'm not exercising my hands, I sometimes perform foot exercises while I wait . . . read article

January 14, 2026:

Trivia Answer: Mu/Nu!

I recently asked which item was in the "middle of the road," alphabetically in our master database of (at that time) 7,101 items. See that earlier post for the "rules" as I put them . . . read article

January 15, 2026:

I Got Interviewed!

Riccardo Scaringi interviewed me a few days ago for his podcast, Il Gioco In Tavolo (The Board Game). I enjoyed the talk! . . . read article

January 16, 2026:

I Know Which Show I'll Be Playing First With Toon

Since Toon has just wrapped up, I'm wondering: Has everyone else decided which show they're most excited to be playing? I think I have . . . read article

January 17, 2026:

One Step Closer To Getting Rick-Rolled By An Octopus

For those looking for unconventional animal-companion inspiration, I present an article from Laughing Squid, about a Swedish musician named Mattias Krantz who spent six months teaching Tako – an octopus he bought from a fish market – how to play the piano. There's an extended video on YouTube about their journey . . . read article

January 18, 2026:

Throwing Toon Back To 1928

Have you heard that Walt Disney and Ube Iwerks' Steamboat Willie, the public debut of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, is now public domain? Because it sure is!   Since November 18, 1928, these characters have brought happiness to hundreds of millions of fans around the world with their crazy antics. That makes the film a fantastic choice to use as a jumping point for Toon Second Edition! Steamboat Willie thrilled audiences with its synchronized sound, whimsical characters, and cartoon hijinks that made it the gold standard for early animation . . . read article

January 19, 2026:

A Pet For Your Pet For Your Pet For . . .

I've lately been posting a bit lately about the Roman Empire (not because it's particularly on my mind, but because I keep stumbling across cool articles about it). In that same vein, I recently discovered that Roman elites had monkeys as pets . . . and some of those monkeys had kittens or piglets as pets of their own . . . read article

January 20, 2026:

Does The Building Manager Play GURPS?

I saw this evacuation route diagram on a wall near the elevators in an office building. I can't remember the last time I saw a hex map in the wild! . . . read article

January 21, 2026:

Welcome To The Bobiverse

I've recently gotten into a science fiction series that starts with the death of the protagonist. But that doesn't seem to faze him; pretty soon he's cropping up all over the place . . . read article

January 22, 2026:

GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition Is Getting Revised . . . But How?

Since October 2025, we've talked up the GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition Revised in the GURPS News, my weekly roundups, and the forums. In anticipation of the upcoming release, here's all the information in one place . . . read article

January 23, 2026:

Munchkin Second Edition Is Now On BackerKit!

The moment you've all been waiting for is here – pledging for Munchkin Second Edition is now open on BackerKit!   Munchkin Second Edition is an epic upgrade featuring stunning, vibrant art by Munchkin's original artist, John Kovalic. The cards, gameboard, and box all feature his illustrations, enhanced with modern updates . . . read article

January 24, 2026:

The Last Page Of Mass-Market Paperbacks

There was an article at the end of last year on Publisher Weekly's website that notes the fall of mass-market paperbacks, and how Readerlink distribution is no longer offering them as of 2026. They've fallen out of favor in recent decades, in no small part due to the rise of ebook readers . . . read article

January 25, 2026:

2025 Crowdfunding: A Year Of Books And RPGs!

It's the beginning of the year, and you know what that means . . . a sickeningly large number of posts and social media reflecting on last year!   But seriously, in so many ways, 2025 never had a dull moment, and it's nice to step back to reflect on some of the great things we achieved last year. As Crowdfunding Manager, I've learned that each campaign can be wildly different from the last, especially considering the depth of Steve Jackson Games' publishing and crowdfunding history . . . read article

January 26, 2026:

Changing The World, One Cowboy Movie At A Time

I'm a fan of pop culture, especially pondering how it intersects with larger societal trends. So I was thrilled to see a new movie video-essay by Bob Chipman (a.k.a. "MovieBob") about the Hopalong Cassidy film series . . . read article

January 27, 2026:

Making My Own OSR

While I work on larger things, I've found myself needing a new project to work on. I want it to be something that lets me use my game designer brain, but doesn't ask me to write a bunch of words to make something publishable . . . read article

January 28, 2026:

Car Wars IRL?

I recently received that exact message via text: "Car Wars IRL?" Attached was a picture of a car that certainly fit the bill. No bolted-on weapons, of course; this one was solely a 5e or earlier affair . . . read article

January 29, 2026:

And The Munchkin Crowdfund Rolls On

After so much work over so much time, it's heartening to see the reaction to the Backerkit campaign for Munchkin Second Edition. Thank you all! . . . read article

January 30, 2026:

Know Your Worth, With GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 24: Finer Points

GURPS heroes are built using character points, which define their abilities and their limitations. Of course, those brave adventurers don't know about those points . . . but what if they did? GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 24: Finer Points helps you explore various possibilities for letting your crypt-crawling conspirators know about their own meta-game characteristics . . . read article

January 31, 2026:

A New Look For Classic Favorites

Munchkin's original artist, John Kovalic, was excited to return to update illustrations on all the cards in Munchkin Second Edition, plus the gameboard and box.   He recently shared a behind-the-scenes photo on Bluesky comparing the original Sleeping -5 To Monster and Level 19 Medusa cards with early sketches that eventually became the Second Edition versions.   Pledging for Munchkin Second Edition is now open on BackerKit! -- Michelle Richardson . . . read article

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