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Daily Illuminator Archive for September 2024
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September 1, 2024:
I recently saw an article on "corn sweat" and how it's affecting the weather in my Midwestern part of the world. The article goes into more details, but basically, growing corn lets off a lot of moisture, which increases the humidity, which makes things hotter . . .
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September 2, 2024:
It's barely September and quite warm for most of the country, but there is no denying that spooky season is nearly upon us. Pumpkin spice items are beginning to arrive in stores and coffee shops, and many places are already selling Halloween decor.
To help you get in the mood for All Hallows' Eve, we've put together a list of slightly scary items!
One of our classics, Zombie Dice, lets you play as a zombie while eating brains and attempting to avoid an untimely (second) death . . .
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September 3, 2024:
Andrew C. Greenberg, co-creator of the Wizardry computer-game series with Robert Woodhead, passed away on August 30, per a Facebook post by Woodward . . .
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September 4, 2024:
I remember growing up thinking that Chex Mix was a real pain in the keister – like, a once-a-year kind of treat. Turns out, life's moved pretty fast, and my preconceived notions from last millennium are outdated . . .
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September 5, 2024:
Munchkin illustrator John Kovalic will be hitting the road once again, this time to support the FairShare CSA Coalition. This unique non-profit supports community-supported agriculture (CSA) farms in John's home state of Wisconsin as well as helping low-income households access fresh produce through their Partner Shares Program . . .
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September 6, 2024:
Here's another "pulled from the headlines" item for modern RPGs . . . A four-year-old broke a Bronze Age jar in a museum . . .
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September 7, 2024:
One of the first musical genres that caught my attention as a kid was soundtracks/film scores. I've always been fascinated by the way composers work with directors to give a movie an overall feel, as well as adding tension or depth to individual scenes . . .
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September 8, 2024:
At Imaginarium last month, I heard a couple of dozen quick pitches for "You should read this book!" I gave in to just one of them. I read the first chapter immediately, and hated the antagonist so much that I set the book down to finish later . . .
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September 9, 2024:
Here's an article with a truck advertisement that proudly proclaims: "Pizza Hut: Official Sponsor of Dominoes." I'm sure you can guess what's going on, but it still made me do a double take . . .
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September 10, 2024:
I've been fascinated by the standoff between X (formerly Twitter) and Brazil – mostly because it meant a huge influx of people came onto Bluesky for the first time. The social-media platform has added millions of new users in the past few days, with some activity seeing a 10-fold increase from a week prior . . .
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September 11, 2024:
If you missed out on the Ogre Miniatures Set 4 crowdfunding campaign back in January, you're in luck – the fourth and final set of Ogre minis is now available over on Warehouse 23! This set features over 100 unpainted minis, including:
Mk I - x2
Mk II - x2
Combine Ranger Heavy Tank - x8
Combine Banshee Missile Tank - x6
Combine Raptor GEV - x8
Combine Roadrunner GEV-PC - x6 (with 3 infantry each)
Combine Gremlin LGEV - x12
Combine Minotaur Howitzer - x4
Combine Bigfoot Mobile Howitzer - x4
Combine Yankee Light Tank - x12
Combine Alamo Superheavy Tank - x6
Combine Infantry - x14 bases with three minis each (total of 42)
Doppelsoldner treads (can be used to replace the treads from Set 3) - x2
Ogre Miniatures Set 4 uses the same scale as both the Ogre Sixth Edition and Ogre Designer's Edition games, so now you're even more prepared for epic battles with cybernetic tanks . . .
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September 12, 2024:
Hacker Deluxe is out now as a print-and-play! That's right – with a printer, a few craft supplies, and a little bit of hacking and folding, you can recreate the classic Hacker experience right at your table . . .
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September 13, 2024:
I've talked before about how I . . . err, I mean, some writer friend envisions the world in gaming terms. Our household watches shows with a similar eye . . .
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September 14, 2024:
For those who missed the successful Kickstarter in April and lived in sorrow, regret no longer – for now the wonders of Hexagram #12 can be found on Warehouse 23! This latest zine for The Fantasy Trip has 10 new articles: a complete introductory scenario, tables to generate town markets, nobles to meet, and even a short story . . .
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September 15, 2024:
Fall is coming soon, and with fall comes several great new titles from Steve Jackson Games!
Munchkin Shadowrun combines two classics: Munchkin and Shadowrun! Access the Matrix . . .
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September 16, 2024:
One fun thing to do in RPGs that have a purchasing element is "limited-time offers" that induce that fear of missing out. For example, the adventurers are in a little shop, and they see a rare or one-of-a-kind magic item (or even not-quite magical items, such as those found in GURPS Fantasy-Tech 1: The Edge of Reality) . . .
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September 17, 2024:
One of my favorite holidays! We'll celebrate with a piratical version of our weekly stream this Thursday . . .
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September 18, 2024:
When it comes to fantastic GURPS games, who you know goes a long way toward making your campaign memorable. Let us introduce you to GURPS Fantasy Folk: The Reptilian Races . . .
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September 19, 2024:
My local stores are stocking Halloween candy, which means that we're careening into autumn already. (Wasn't it just March?) . . .
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September 20, 2024:
On Saturday, October 5th and Sunday, October 6th, Steve Jackson Games and Double Exposure will be hosting in-store events at local game shops around the United States to introduce fans to the latest addition to the Car Wars Sixth Edition family: Car Wars Orange/Purple!
Car Wars Orange/Purple is a two-player starter set that includes two cars, Sawtooth and Pure Energy, plus dashboards, counter sheets, 100+ cards, 20 dice, and an updated rulebook with helpful tips on playing your first game.
Stop by any of the stores below to learn the game!
Final Boss Games - Springdale, AR, 479-502-2600
Off the Shelf Games - El Cajon, CA, 619-708-8142
The Guild House - Bellflower, CA, 562-461-2729
Game Kastle (Fremont) - Fremont, CA, 510-651-4263
Imperial Gaming & Collectibles - Meriden, CT, 860-426-0033
The Armchair Adventurer - Honolulu, HI, 808-843-1250
Nerd HQ - Davenport, IA, 563-888-1852
Tempest Games LLC - Cedar Rapids, IA, 319-390-6441
Gaming Adventures - New Plymouth, ID, 208-649-4244
Snakes & Lattes Chicago - Chicago, IL, 872-310-3999
Pink Elephant Games and Cafe - Wichita, KS, 316-867-4411
Black Sun Games LLC - Frederick, MD, 240-813-9174
Portals Games & Comics - Easton, MD, 410-800-8787
Games4Life - Lake Orion, MI, 248-929-8121
Voss Media Board Game Cafe - Galesburg, MI, 269-377-0387
Great Escape Gaming - Flint, MI, 810-422-9995
Nostalgia, Ink - Jackson, MI, 517-784-8955
Mission: Board Games (KC North) - Kansas City, MO, 816-214-8554
Chaos Games LLC - Minot, ND, 701-240-6021
New World Manga - Livingston, NJ, 973-597-0625
Sorcery and Might Board Game Store - Santa Fe, NM, 505-629-5965
Game Kastle (Reno) - Reno, NV, 775-657-8150
Bard and Baker Board Game Cafe - Troy, NY, 845-787-4676
Boardgame Bounty Hunters - New Windsor, NY, 845-787-4676
Tabletop Game Cafe - Columbus, OH, 614-725-0328
The Guardtower - Columbus, OH, 614-488-4311
Capstone Games Store - Cincinnati, OH, 513-873-3123 ext. 2
Board Bard Games - Portland, OR, 971-801-0583
Double Looks Games - Ellwood City, PA
Worldfire Games - Surfside Beach, SC, 843-650-0083
Board to Beers - Memphis, TN, 901-347-2787
Dragon's Lair - Houston, TX, 832-761-0072
Dragon's Nest - Kilgore, TX, 903-987-2516
Madness Games & Comics - Plano, TX, 972-943-8135
Raygun Lounge - Seattle, WA, 206-812-2521
Hobby Knights - West Bend, WI, 262-429-2229
Four Horsemen Comics and Gaming - Morgantown, WV, 304-581-4461
The Gryphon's Nest - Bridgeport, WV, 304-629-7590
Will you be heading to your FLGS to play a game of Car Wars Orange/Purple? . . .
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September 21, 2024:
Despite playing RPGs since 1976 and writing for the industry since 1980, I've never managed to get family members to go on a tabletop adventure. That changed in mid-July, when a trip to a WiFi-less vacation cabin provided an opportunity to run a game for my sister, my brother-in-law, and my two 20-something nieces . . .
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September 22, 2024:
I don't think I've shared this story . . . or, at the very least, I haven't shared it here – and it's continued to delight our family for about a decade now, so why not inflict it on you? We had purchased the Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of Ashardalon Board Game and were trying to learn the rules as we played it . . .
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September 23, 2024:
I just realized how straightforward it would be to recreate classic "instant camera"-type pictures as props for a game. Here's some info on Polaroid photo dimensions to get the right sizes (or use the details as inspiration for your game universe's equivalent) . . .
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September 24, 2024:
I haven't had a chance to play Star Wars Outlaws yet, but I have been amused by early reports of the in-game pet Nix, who has a "pet" command and can be made jealous if you give attention to other animals. I was especially delighted by online reports about what happens if you point your blaster at Nix . . .
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September 25, 2024:
I've been experiencing the joy of roguelike games on my Nintendo Switch, which deliver a bite-sized batch of fun on the portable console. For those who aren't familiar, roguelikes are – very briefly – dungeon-crawl-type games with more or less randomly generated environments . . .
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September 26, 2024:
Imagine: A world of eldritch terrors. A world of bizarre mysteries . . .
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September 27, 2024:
My parents were always fond of telling me that video games were a waste of time. While they might have been right on some level – I've dedicated an embarrassing number of hours to Baldur's Gate 3 – I don't think they can really make that argument for Foldit . . .
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September 28, 2024:
I know they're kind of old-fashioned nowadays, but if you need a piece of cool evidence in your game (especially a campaign featuring GURPS Mysteries), nothing quite beats a check. A single (fake, of course!) check provides lots of clues that players can follow up on: addresses, names to and from that might ring a bell elsewhere in the investigation, signatures that can be compared with other evidence, customized designs that might be significant, routing numbers that can be tied to banks . . . . .
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September 29, 2024:
We all love tabletop games, no matter what the flavor, from Chess and Go to GURPS and Munchkin. But do you know about the ancient, storied history of boardgaming?
A fascinating book I've recently become aware of is It's All a Game, by Tristan Donovan . . .
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September 30, 2024:
For those who enjoy daily word games in the vein of Wordle, Strands, or Connections, I found one recently that's different and fun, called Squeezy. Basically, you have a selection of words on the right-hand side – such as BITER, CAD, ONCE, and RETIRE; and a selection of tiles on the lefthand side: say, E, R, T, U . . .
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