Steve Jackson's Blog, page 104

January 17, 2023: Munchkin Witches And Dice Store Pre-Orders Closing Today

We've added an extra day to TWO huge Backerkit stores offering pre-orders for Munchkin Witches and our semi-regular Dice Store. They've been very successful, so much so that we've already extended them an extra week for folks who missed them during the holidays. But all good things must come to an end, and today is definitely your last chance to pre-order all this great loot.

Munchkin Witches features a 30-card witch-themed mini-expansion, and pre-orders will include the 10-card promo pack as well. We also have a number of upcoming Munchkin expansions available for pre-order, including Munchkin Squids , Munchkin Cows , and Munchkin Druids . You can even get the Colossal Munchkin Level Die , one of our fan-favorite items, in three different colors!

Speaking of Munchkin , the Dice Store features our new Munchkin Polyhedral Dice Sets . Each set includes new Munchkin promo cards corresponding to the numbers on the dice as well as the color of the set. (Yes, each set has different cards!) And that's just the tip of the (d)iceberg – we have over a hundred dice available on the store! There's tons of specialty stuff like Weather Dice , The Elder Futhark Die , the  Bad Luck Die , and the  Seven Deadly Sins Die , plus d6 sets like the Ocean Dice and the brand-new  Brick d6 Dice Set . Start off the new year with some shiny new dice!

Both Backerkit stores are closing this evening; get your orders in now!

– Hunter Shelburne

Warehouse 23 News: Meeting Of The Minds

Life is hard; your games don't have to be! How to Be a GURPS GM: Managing Expectations is your guide from GURPS guru Sean Punch to common elements that can befuddle a campaign if you're not on the same page. Invaluable insight awaits your download from Warehouse 23!

January 16, 2023: Now Print-On-Demand: Girl Genius Sourcebook And Roleplaying Game

We continue to expand the selection of books offered through our GURPS On Demand program. Where possible, we list older (and newer!) books as print-on-demand releases to make it easier on our warehouse and, best of all, make it as easy as possible for you to order print copies regardless of where you may live.

Recently, we added the Girl Genius Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game to our print-on-demand library and, as with many of the books, you have a choice of sites when you go to order a copy for your library.Amazon - The book is listed as both a softcover and hardcover, making it possible to choose your preferred format.DrivethruRPG - Again, we're offering both softcover and hardcover options. You can find both print-on-demand editions of the book here.In 2023, we'll continue to add to the GURPS On Demand program and, over time and with luck, we'll expand this catalog to well over 200 different books. 

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Do You Have The Need For Steed?

Face off against an Uzi-wielding Ooze as you ride into battle atop your very own Chicken, Eagle, or Giant Mutant Gerbil! Grab a copy of Munchkin 4 – The Need for Steed   from Warehouse 23 today, and ride off into the sunset!

January 15, 2023: How Inflation Impacted Cthulhu Dice

One benefit of publishing games for over four decades is that we have access to a lot of manufacturing, shipping, and sales information. When we set out to reprint the Cthulhu Dice game, the costs felt extreme relative to my memory of what the game should cost to manufacture. Based on the expenses – both a dramatic increase in manufacturing and the excessive shipping costs – we were forced to push the game's MSRP to $9.95. Higher than we would have liked, but it was either that or not reprint the game.

As curiosity took hold, I checked the costs of the 2010 printing of the Cthulhu Dice game. Oh, how I miss those days.

Today's Cthulhu Dice reprint cost us almost three times as much to manufacture as the 2010 edition of the game. We limited the impact on the MSRP to double the 2010 price, but unless something changes dramatically in terms of manufacturing and freight, this may be the last printing of the game. 

Until the public's perception of game price vs. value changes in some substantial way, and as long as costs keep climbing, we may see a market shift away from low-price, impulse-buy filler games, at least for the indie and small publishers who don't have the advantages of scale that the bigger game and toy makers enjoy. It is times like this that I do miss the years when costs were not spiraling out of control.

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Unleash Your Animal Instincts

Depending on how you define the genre, anthropomorphic animals have been a storytelling trope for a loooong time. GURPS Furries brings these opportunities to your gaming table, with GURPS insight, template advice, and plenty of examples to make just the kind of critter campaign you want. Download it now from Warehouse 23!

January 14, 2023: AI Art In Gaming

The topic of AI art in commercial uses is a tricky and touchy subject. With that said, we feel like the recent blog post from Chaosium does a good job of highlighting their stance on the subject, and it's one we tend to agree with. While we don't have a similar/official policy just yet, we are watching the development of the technology carefully. Ultimately, we have always worked with amazing artists for our games and plan to continue to trust humans with that work. 

– Hunter Shelburne

Warehouse 23 News: Man-To-Man Combat From The World Of Ogre

Battlesuit is a sequel to the best-selling Ogre. But where Ogre tells the story of the supertanks of the far future, Battlesuit is man-to-man combat. Each unit represents a single fighting man in his powered armor. Extra-large counters are provided for four types of suit, four levels of damaged suit, and three types of drone. PANIC and JUMP chits are also included.

January 13, 2023: Friday The 13th Sale On Warehouse 23

We're starting the year off with a spooky sale on Warehouse 23, running Friday the 13th through Sunday the 15th (a much less scary, yet necessary, day of the week). We've got monster savings on a number of the scarier titles across our entire catalog, such as  Zombie Dice , Munchkin , GURPS , and more. This sale is taking place on our new Shopify store for Warehouse 23, and you can find a full list of eligible titles on the store!

This sale ends on Sunday. Don't be afraid – order today! 

– Hunter Shelburne

Warehouse 23 News: Oh, No . . . Clowns

You've faced all manner of dangers and devilry in GURPS Dungeon Fantasy. But can you survive . . . a trip to the carnival? GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Encounters 3: The Carnival of Madness is a ready-to-use location that you can drop just about anywhere for fun, frolicking, and frights . . . and it's just a download away from Warehouse 23.

January 12, 2023: A Wish For The GURPS On Demand Series

Thanks to technology, we've managed to keep over 100 different GURPS books in print through the GURPS On Demand series. We continue to add new books, but we've not yet truly tackled the direction that we will (as time allows) take the series.

You see, it's not good enough to make the 3rd and 4th edition books available. We need to release each edition of each title as a print-on-demand book, giving those of you who wish to compare (for example) first edition GURPS Space to the newest edition an easy way to flip through both titles at once and study the differences.

Scanning and preparing every edition of every GURPS book is a time-consuming task, though, and it may take years to work through the catalog.

While we wait for that to happen, please take a look at the GURPS On Demand page for a closer look at the books already on offer.

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Get Ready To Warp!

Time is always more fluid around munchkins, but now we've really broken it! Munchkin 10 –Time Warp sends you all over space-time to fight creatures from the past, like the Sabertooth Tiger – but maybe you'll Invent Beer along the way! Start your journey today  on Warehouse 23!

January 11, 2023: Choose Cthulhu Gamebooks

We announced in 2021 (Daily Illuminator post here) that we had acquired the English language rights to the Choose Cthulhu series, and now we can report that work continues on preparing the fourteen different books for publication. This has been a massive undertaking, as we've re-sized every book to the 6" x 9" format and each one is going through an extensive edit and review. 

At the moment, our plan is to take the series to Kickstarter just as soon as all of the hard work is complete and we can guarantee that we're ready to go to print. We'll divide the project across multiple campaigns, and we'll make sure to offer a print-on-demand code reward level for those of you outside of the United States.

As you wait for us to finalize our work on the Choose Cthulhu series, please take a moment to explore the Cthulhu section of the "our games" page. Dice. Games. Dice Bags. Check it out today!

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: You Need A Touch Of Magic

Not all magic is "KABOOM! YOUR CASTLE EXPLODED!" Day-to-day magical arts are often quieter. GURPS Magic: The Least of Spells is your guide to minor arcane abilities that might be available to just about anyone, with 77 spells across 24 colleges. Big ideas await your download from Warehouse 23!

January 10, 2023: Spooks Now Available Via Print-On-Demand

Out of print for almost a decade, the fast-paced card game Spooks is now available via print-on-demand technology.

Buy the cards, download the rulebook, and get ready for a quick, disquieting game where you try to be the first player to escape the haunted house by emptying your hand. Spooks is fun for all ages, and it's just a click away!

– Steven Marsh

Warehouse 23 News: Kittens And A Puzzle!

An evil wizard has cast a spell on Katie Cook's incredible Dungeon Survival Pack: Kitten Adventurers artwork, shattering the illustrations into 500 pieces. Only you can reassemble them and help the kitties return to the dungeon to continue their adventure! Order  Kitten Adventurers 500 Piece Puzzle now on Warehouse 23!

January 9, 2023: Steampunk D6 Dice Set Now Available

You can find our newest pack of dice at your favorite game store! This set of six 19mm six-siders is great for your Munchkin Steampunk , Girl Genius , or GURPS Steampunk game. Want to wow your family during the next game night? Pull out these chunky, gear-laden dice for the annual Yahtzee session with your in-laws, or give your next Farkle session a steampunk twist!

"Springs, sprockets, and steam – all the necessary components for a mechanical marvel! The gears were turning, noises were heard, and these marvelous 19mm dice came rolling right out of our workshop. Engineer your destiny with the Steampunk d6 Dice Set! This set includes six stunning 19mm dice in shades of copper, brown, steel gray, and gold."

If your local store doesn't stock these new dice, you may either ask them to special order from their approved distributor or, if you wish, order today at Warehouse 23 or Amazon.com. Regardless of how you get your hands on these cog-bedecked cubes, we're sure that the designs will add a touch of mechanized joy to any game.

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Find Hidden Workshop? Check. Survive? Answer Cloudy . . .

Scintillating secrets await in Warlock's Workshop , a solo adventure for The Fantasy Trip . It's 475 paragraphs of pulse-pounding action. Navigate traps and trials, and hopefully find treasure! Adventure awaits your download from Warehouse 23.

January 8, 2023: GURPS On Demand Over 120 Books Strong!

If you're unfamiliar with our GURPS On Demand series, then you've been missing your chance to add over 120 different GURPS books to your game library. Working within Amazon's print-on-demand systems, we've published several older, out-of-print GURPS books in a format that makes it easier – and cheaper! – than ever for gamers across the world to order these books. Since Amazon prints the books as close to their final destination as possible, the overall costs are much lower than if we were printing and shipping the books from our Austin warehouse.

The program is especially great for those of you outside of the United States. As you know, shipping costs and local customs fees can make ordering a book from Warehouse 23 overly expensive. We bypass those hurdles for many of you with GURPS On Demand , not to mention the savings in time since the books don't have to travel around the world to reach your gaming table.

Check the GURPS On Demand page for a list of available titles, and please continue watching the Daily Illuminator for notfications as we add more books to the series. 

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Curse You, Munchkins!

Admit it. You love that moment when your enemy kicks down the door, and the card they draw is – a Curse! Almost as much as you love playing Curses on your enemies yourself. With Munchkin Curses you can add even more backstabbing and evil to your game! Order now on Warehouse 23!