|
Daily Illuminator Archive for July 2026
All Archives
July 1, 2026:
You might recall our tariff adventure with Munchkin Big Box. To recap: Mr. Trump announced his superhigh China tariff after Big Box had left the printer and before the ship docked . . .
read article
July 2, 2026:
The other day – in a post about shuffling cards with dice – I typed "12-siders," which autocorrect "helpfully" changed to "12-spiders." And then it proceeded to make the same tweak to every die I tried to type out. Within the span of a few minutes, I was confronted with 12-spiders, six-spiders, four-spiders . . . . .
read article
July 3, 2026:
The GURPS Basic Set, First Edition was released at the 1986 Origins Game Fair in Los Angeles. That took place July 3-6, meaning that GURPS is 40 years old this week! ( Man to Man was released the previous year in Baltimore, but that was strictly the combat system, so we count birthdays from 1986.) . . .
read article
July 4, 2026:
Today we celebrate an incredible milestone in the history of our country – the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence!
To read more about the significance of this meaningful day, check out this article from the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute. Sandra Day O'Connor was a Supreme Court Justice from 1981 to 2006 . . .
read article
July 5, 2026:
GURPS Project Manager Steven Marsh recently put out a call around the virtual water cooler for any tips related to surviving and thriving at the big conventions. If you can manage dealing with large crowds for a period of time but are occasionally overwhelmed, take steps before you arrive at your favorite large-scale convention to find if they have a designated quiet room . . .
read article
July 6, 2026:
From a certain point of view, the real world is downright . . . magical. The power and potential of today's rich tapestry come to the gaming table with GURPS Magical Styles: Modern Magic . . .
read article
July 7, 2026:
You may not be familiar with the word greeblie, but if you've seen a sci-fi spaceship, you've likely seen greeblies in action. They're the small details used to add complexity to a shape.
Adam Savage was a professional model maker for Star Wars movies, so he has a lot of experience adding greeblies to projects . . .
read article
July 8, 2026:
I think I just put the whole post into the headline. I first ran the Chaos Machine more than 20 years ago! . . .
read article
July 9, 2026:
Or is it the most fun depressing game you'll play today? Gerrymandle is an online game that challenges you to draw fake (abstract) district maps to favor different voting groups . . .
read article
July 11, 2026:
If you own a local game store, we want to hear from you!
The goal is to learn more about our retail partners so we can find more ways to improve their experience.
As a thank you for completing the survey, we will randomly draw two winners. Each will receive a $50 credit to use on our online store, Warehouse 23 . . .
read article
July 12, 2026:
I swear I have more in my life than daily online games. But I find they're an interesting way to get my brain to wake up in the morning . . .
read article
July 13, 2026:
As I reorganized the gaming shelves today, my eye fell on a copy of the new edition of Munchkin, and I realized what a good group we've got right now, both on and off the staff. Yes, we've lost some stars over the last decade, both to life changes and to tragedy . . .
read article
July 14, 2026:
Seven-Part Pact, an ornate, fantastical TTRPG-meets-board game about seven great wizards and the tribulations they face, is launching today on Kickstarter.
"If you're a sucker for hoary tomes and dread grimoires, if your heart cries out for wicked homunculi and crafty familiars, if at the end of the day you're out here just trying to ponder some goddamn orbs, then Jay has crafted the perfect game for you. Seven-Part Pact is a vast, robust, visceral game about the powers and limitations of magic, the invisibility and essentiality of the work it takes to change/save/destroy the world, and an epic saga sung to the part of our soul that wishes to stroke our beard and sunder our staff upon the very mountainside."
— Brennan Lee Mulligan, Dimension 20
Players each take on one of seven powerful wizards. Each of these wizards has their own Codex and Domain, a board game that represents their responsibilities over the world . . .
read article
July 15, 2026:
LeMar Mattox, Senior Sales & Exhibits Manager for Gen Con, tragically passed away on Saturday, July 4, after a six-year battle with cancer. It is a monumental loss for the gaming community and, of course, for his family, friends, and loved ones.
LeMar had a long career at Gen Con, spanning 18 years . . .
read article
July 16, 2026:
Jay Dragon (that's me) and Ruby Lavin are doing an AMA on Reddit on the r/rpg board to promote Seven-Part Pact! If you have any questions about the game, its mechanics, design, or artistic vision, we'll be there to answer . . .
read article
July 17, 2026:
We're now a couple days into Seven-Part Pact's launch, and I want to take a moment and talk about the most important tier on the Kickstarter. Backers of the highest tier will receive, amongst all the other gubbins and doodads associated with that tier, a limited print hand-illuminated and hand-painted version of the Orrery illustrated by Conner Fawcett, with coloration done by my actual mother Jen Dragon.
Jen Dragon has spent more than 40 years working in the Hudson Valley as a curator, painter, carpenter, and antique map restorer . . .
read article
July 18, 2026:
For those looking for an idea for their space, atomic horror, or GURPS Monster Hunters campaigns, I humbly direct your attention to the mysterious metal spheres that have washed up in Queensland, Australia . . .
read article
July 19, 2026:
The old atmospheric quality in recent days hasn't been great, what with pollen, allergens, world being on fire, etc. I recently tried a project I first heard about a few years ago (during the height of COVID): a Corsi-Rosenthal Box . . .
read article
July 20, 2026:
I'm listening right now to The Pegasus Nominees: Songs of Space, Science, and Science Fiction, a compilation by Prometheus Music. The Pegasus Awards are given annually at the Ohio Valley Filk Festival to honor the year's best in filk . . .
read article
July 21, 2026:
For those who keep up with videogame news, there's been a bit of a kerfuffle in recent weeks about how physical media for gaming consoles is probably on the way out. As an avid video-game collector (and shelf-stuffing devotee of all manner of gaming), this news makes me sad . . .
read article
July 22, 2026:
We've passed the first week of Seven-Part Pact's crowdfunding, and I am beyond honored that we've already raised more than half a million toward making this fantastical, ornate dream of a TTRPG. I spent four years playtesting this game before bringing it to crowdfunding . . .
read article
July 23, 2026:
We are thrilled to announce the ultimate Munchkin celebration at Gen Con, and tickets are on sale now!
The Munchkin 25th Anniversary Party is a special event with tons of puns and fun. It will take place from 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm (but you can start at 7:00 if you purchase a VIP ticket!) on July 31 at Tavern on South, just a short walk from the Indianapolis Convention Center.
You'll begin your evening by picking up your goodie bag, which will be filled with Treasures like a Munchkin d6, a party-specific badge ribbon, an exclusive pin, a branded Munchkin sugar cookie, and more! . . .
read article
July 24, 2026:
Join our friends at Warhammer for a special contest and be entered to win a huge prize pack with over 20 exciting items, including Munchkin Warhammer Age of Sigmar and Munchkin Warhammer 40,000 games, expansions, and accessories.
All Warhammer+ subscribers who are signed up before August 4 will receive an entry into the contest . . .
read article
Top •
Daily Illuminator Archives
|
|
