July 17, 2024: Egads, Victoria! Which Of Us Pierced Reality Again?

I'm a huge fan of games that suddenly start playing differently. And I'm an armchair game tinkerer. And I have a bookshelf full of decades of awesome Munchkin stuff. So, putting it together . . .

The premise: Start with Munchkin Steampunk. You all are steampunk munchkins, doing steampunk munchkinly things! Play as normal. Then, once a player hits a predefined level (I suggest 5, 6, or 7), things get weird.

How weird? Well, it turns out that one of those "steampunk munchkinly things" maaayyyyy have accidentally breached the time barrier, in a way that makes H.G. Wells rub his forehead. Shuffle Munchkin 10 – Time Warp into the draw pile.

From here, either play continues as normal (the "well, that just happened!" option), or – if your group wants a bit of extra spice and a longer game – the game only ends if the winning level is a Time Warp monster (that is, you need to beat up some . . . [more]

Share this post!

July 16, 2024: Random Idea: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Today's random idea: a text-based RPG campaign (maybe via Discord?), where all players communicate via emojis. Why? Who can say . . . maybe it's like A Quiet Place, only instead of "aliens can detect any noise," it's "aliens or an online intelligence can detect human text." Hey, I'm an ideas guy, giving you something to start with . . .

If anyone tries this (or has done something similar), feel free to post on the forums; if it's cool, I'll almost certainly respond with an "exploded head" emoji.

-- Steven Marsh

Share this post!

July 15, 2024: Decktective Is Effective!

Like many of you all, I play a lot of games (and not just those by a certain fine purveyor of spiffy products). One series hit my radar recently – after sitting in the closet of shame for the past few years – that we really enjoy. It's the Decktective series, by dV Games.

This is a series of mysteries that – like similar games – can only be played once. (I mean, you can play it again, but you'll know the mystery so there isn't much point unless your memory is terrible.) They're playable solo or co-op, but I strongly suspect it's more fun in a small group. As the name implies, you're trying to solve a mystery, with each card representing a clue or piece of evidence . . . which may or may not be useful.

Decktective has two innovations that make it noteworthy for us. First, you use the cards to "build" the crime scene, tucking them into the box lid to form a little 3D diorama. . . . [more]

Share this post!

July 14, 2024: Questions Three: Nikki Vrtis

With combined editor and production-artist credits that exceed 400 projects just for Steve Jackson Games, Nikki Vrtis has been a force for gaming goodness since her days at West End Games in the early 2000s. If you've picked up a GURPS project in the past 16 years, the odds are incredible that her name's in there somewhere.

Nikki recently took some time away from her latest batch of projects to answer this installment's Questions Three.

You're rare in the SJ Games pantheon for having extensive experience with both editing and graphic design. What's something your myriad skills let you bring to GURPS?

I work with just about every aspect of book production: editing, layout, art selection, indexing, cover design, supplemental writing, preparing files for print. This helps me to get projects done faster and sometimes do more interesting things to the layout than I could otherwise. As the . . . [more]

Share this post!

July 13, 2024: Gen Con Blood Drive Returns For 2024

Gen Con is partnering with The Heinlein Society and the Versiti Blood Center of Indiana to host a blood drive. All confirmed donors will receive an exclusive free Loot Crate and a chance to win a daily giveaway. This includes a Grand Prize worth over $2,000:

Loot Crate Contents:

Three months of Hero level access to dScryb
Three months of audio by Michael Ghelfi Studios with a dScryb Composer subscription
Roll20's Burn Bryte Core Rulebook
Additional dice and swag at the sign-up booth

Daily Prize Bundle Contents:

Annual Composer subscription to TTRPG audio by Michael Ghelfi Studios
Annual Hero subscription to dScryb, with access to over 10,000 scenes, maps, characters, etc.
Annual Pro Subscription to Roll20
Pathfinder OR Starfinder Beginner Box from Paizo
Quill and Ink Writing Set

Grand Prize Bundle Contents:

Annual Composer subscription to TTRPG audio by Michael Ghelfi . . .

[more]

Share this post!

Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule

Isaac Asimov takes our trumpet and hides in the same place as before. July 17, 2024: Egads, Victoria! Which Of Us Pierced Reality Again? I'm a huge fan of games that suddenly start playing differently. And I'm an armchair game tinkerer. And I have a bookshelf full of decades of awesome Munchkin stuff. So, putting it together . . . The premise: Start with Munchkin Steampunk. You all are steampunk munchkins, doing steampunk munchkinly things! Play as normal. Then, once a player hits a predefined level (I suggest 5, 6, or 7), things get weird. How weird? Well, it turns out that one of those "steampunk munchkinly things" maaayyyyy have accidentally breached the time barrier, in a way that makes H.G. Wells rub his forehead. Shuffle Munchkin 10 – Time Warp into the draw pile. From here, either play continues as normal (the "well, that just happened!" option), or – if your group wants a bit of extra spice and a longer game – the game only ends if the winning level is a Time Warp monster (that is, you need to beat up some . . . [more] Share this post! July 16, 2024: Random Idea: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Today's random idea: a text-based RPG campaign (maybe via Discord?), where all players communicate via emojis. Why? Who can say . . . maybe it's like A Quiet Place, only instead of "aliens can detect any noise," it's "aliens or an online intelligence can detect human text." Hey, I'm an ideas guy, giving you something to start with . . . If anyone tries this (or has done something similar), feel free to post on the forums; if it's cool, I'll almost certainly respond with an "exploded head" emoji. -- Steven Marsh Share this post! July 15, 2024: Decktective Is Effective! Like many of you all, I play a lot of games (and not just those by a certain fine purveyor of spiffy products). One series hit my radar recently – after sitting in the closet of shame for the past few years – that we really enjoy. It's the Decktective series, by dV Games. This is a series of mysteries that – like similar games – can only be played once. (I mean, you can play it again, but you'll know the mystery so there isn't much point unless your memory is terrible.) They're playable solo or co-op, but I strongly suspect it's more fun in a small group. As the name implies, you're trying to solve a mystery, with each card representing a clue or piece of evidence . . . which may or may not be useful. Decktective has two innovations that make it noteworthy for us. First, you use the cards to "build" the crime scene, tucking them into the box lid to form a little 3D diorama. . . . [more] Share this post! July 14, 2024: Questions Three: Nikki Vrtis With combined editor and production-artist credits that exceed 400 projects just for Steve Jackson Games, Nikki Vrtis has been a force for gaming goodness since her days at West End Games in the early 2000s. If you've picked up a GURPS project in the past 16 years, the odds are incredible that her name's in there somewhere. Nikki recently took some time away from her latest batch of projects to answer this installment's Questions Three. *You're rare in the SJ Games pantheon for having extensive experience with both editing and graphic design. What's something your myriad skills let you bring to GURPS?* I work with just about every aspect of book production: editing, layout, art selection, indexing, cover design, supplemental writing, preparing files for print. This helps me to get projects done faster and sometimes do more interesting things to the layout than I could otherwise. As the . . . [more] Share this post! July 13, 2024: Gen Con Blood Drive Returns For 2024 Gen Con is partnering with The Heinlein Society and the Versiti Blood Center of Indiana to host a blood drive. All confirmed donors will receive an exclusive free Loot Crate and a chance to win a daily giveaway. This includes a Grand Prize worth over $2,000: Loot Crate Contents: Three months of Hero level access to dScryb Three months of audio by Michael Ghelfi Studios with a dScryb Composer subscription Roll20's Burn Bryte Core Rulebook Additional dice and swag at the sign-up booth Daily Prize Bundle Contents: Annual Composer subscription to TTRPG audio by Michael Ghelfi Studios Annual Hero subscription to dScryb, with access to over 10,000 scenes, maps, characters, etc. Annual Pro Subscription to Roll20 Pathfinder OR Starfinder Beginner Box from Paizo Quill and Ink Writing Set Grand Prize Bundle Contents: Annual Composer subscription to TTRPG audio by Michael Ghelfi . . . [more] Share this post! Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule		Latest Videos You are the 728th interstellar sex god here today. (29965958 since August 1, 1995)