Steve Jackson's Blog, page 129

May 16, 2022: GURPS On Demand Expanded

We keep adding titles to our GURPS On Demand program, making it easier than ever to grab print copies of GURPS books you may have originally missed. This page on our site lists all of the available titles, which now include: GURPS Discworld GURPS Discworld Also GURPS Social Engineering GURPS Template Toolkit 1 GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Companion 3 And much more! Check the list to see everything we've released so far as a part of the GURPS On Demand program.

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Worlds Await

GURPS Infinite Worlds: The Osiris Worlds presents three alternate timelines where the empire of Ancient Egypt left its mark on the world in other fascinating ways. Your trip to infinite impossibilities begins with a download from Warehouse 23!

May 15, 2022: NI3DP Part 11 – New Learnings

Part of the fun at FnordCon was playing with (and showing off) the minis and terrain that I had not just painted, but made, myself!

A few new lessons for the Tome of 3DP Knowledge . . .

The best way I have yet found to purify used alcohol is to put it in a sealed clear plastic bottle (milk jugs work fine; big soda bottles are perfect); leave it in the sun for a day to cure the dissolved resin; leave it in some out-of-the-way place for a couple more days to settle; and then pour the newly-clear alcohol through a filter. The plastic bottle is no longer recyclable; throw it away.

It is sometimes easier, with blocky builds like miniature bases or Hexscape pieces, to remove the supports before curing. Try it! (With a delicate build like the skeleton figures, you'd still need nippers, and those seem to work best on cured pieces.)

If there are any windows at all in your printing room, some UV is leaking in . . . and it may be worthwhile for you to wipe the edges of the printing plate and/or flexplate before it even goes in the wash.

I have noticed that sometimes the Amazon price for a half-liter of resin is less than half of their price for a full liter. So check before you buy!

Scraping failed prints off the FEP film gets easier with practice. If you use your finger to push up the film from beneath, right at the edge of the solid resin, it's easier to get the scraper under it. Don't use the corner of the scraper – that's likely to make a scratch! Use alcohol to clean the bottom of the film afterward, of course.

For a very tiny and very stubborn bit of stuck resin, I used a single-edge razor blade. Very gently. Once. And it worked. But I'm not actually recommending this, because it could easily have destroyed the film. I just figured that if I couldn't get that resin off, I'd have to change the film anyway.

In the quest for a good adhesive for resin parts, I've come to hot glue. Pretty effective. Less convenient, because you have to warm up your glue gun, and the hot glue makes strings when you pull the gun away. But it holds well.

I'm now setting my build plate in a slanted tray to drip, rather than just holding it over the vat, and that has really reduced the number of errant, toxic, sticky droplets.

Warehouse 23 News: What You're About To Do Will Be Perilous . . .

Are your buckles insufficiently swashed? The call of the seas awaits, with GURPS The Green Madonna . This adventure lets you seek a treasure, dodge spies, and fight against a secret society. Augment your tale with GURPS Supporting Cast: Age of Sail Pirate Crew and GURPS Classic: Swashbucklers , and maybe some oranges to ward off scurvy. Set sail thanks to these downloads from Warehouse 23!

May 14, 2022: Knock Is The Best Fantasy RPG Zine You're Not Reading

When the first Knock Kickstarter campaign closed in late 2020, I was one of the backers, though I really wasn't certain what to expect from the inaugural issue of this new fantasy RPG zine. I figured the Kickstarter page looked good enough that it was worth giving the project a shot . . . and I am glad that I did! That first issue was amazing. Packed with random tables, monsters, and all sorts of OSR articles by different creators, I found inspiration throughout the attractive, professionally designed and printed softcover zine. I happily backed the second Kickstarter, and the third, and I'm all set with my money for the fourth issue once it goes to Kickstarter.

Clearly I wasn't alone in my opinion of that first issue. Where the first project closed out at 1,600 backers, the second went over 2,700, and the third closed at over 2,900 supporters! I won't be surprised at all if #4 tops the 3,000 backer mark; an incredible performance for an indie RPG zine.

The first issue is no longer available in print, but the second and third can be found right now at the official website. If you're a fantasy RPG gamemaster, regardless of your system of choice, Knock is worth a look.

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Get In Character!

Templates are an amazing way to make GURPS settings that are consistent and flavorful. But they can be tricky! GURPS Template Toolkit 1: Characters gives you insight into making templates that represent jobs and roles and ensuring they're balanced, representative, and enjoyable! The template for fun is a download away from Warehouse 23!

May 13, 2022: Munchkin Worldbuilders Charity Auction

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Worldbuilders charity auction is happening now, and John Kovalic has donated a full run of custom Munchkin postcards along with a hand-drawn Munchkin SWFA card! If you're a collector of Munchkin rarities and swag, or just want to give to a good cause, check out the auction – it runs a few more days. While you're there, you may find some other science fiction and fantasy-themed stuff to bid on as well! 

– Hunter Shelburne

Warehouse 23 News: Spookify Your Game!

Playmats provide a fast and easy way to throw a new battle map on the table with very little prep time! Haunting and beautiful, the  Graveyard Playmat  features full-color scenery and hexes for use with  The Fantasy Trip  or your favorite tabletop roleplaying game. Order now on Warehouse 23!

May 12, 2022: Last Week To Pre-Order The Dark Knight!

Pre-orders close on May 19, making this your last week to pre-order the Kickstarter edition of the game – at the Kickstarter price – right now at BackerKit. The game is on the water and expected in our primary warehouse in June, giving us plenty of time to meet – if not exceed! – the September 2022 estimated delivery date for U.S. Kickstarter backers and pre-orders.

Once we close pre-orders, any remaining copies of the Kickstarter edition will be released through Warehouse 23 and priced at $64.95, which is more than the $50 pre-order price.

Pre-orders are open to the U.S., Canada, EU, and UK. We are only shipping the Kickstarter edition of the game to those areas and no others.

You can pre-order at BackerKit right now!

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: New Car Wars!

A complete redesign of the original game of autoduelling,  Car Wars Sixth Edition  plays faster and includes new plastic miniatures! This  Car Wars Core Set  has everything you need for four players to play right out of the box! Start Autoduelling now on Warehouse 23!

May 11, 2022: Knightmare Chess Variants And Optional Rules Now On Kickstarter

The latest printing of Knightmare Chess is here, and in celebration we're compiling existing articles into an A6-sized booklet that will fit in the newest edition of the game. Knightmare Chess Variants and Optional Rules is a 32-page collection of articles you can turn to when you want to warp your chess games even more . . . including rules for playing with three and four players!

This new Kickstarter project is intentionally small. There are no stretch goals, the reward levels are limited, and we're printing the booklet in the United States so that we can minimize the chance of delays. 

Visit Kickstarter to join the new campaign today!

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Munchkin Farkle!

Play the classic game of  Farkle  in a whole new way!  Munchkin Farkle  marries the classic dice game with the  Munchkin  sense of humor and stab-your-buddy mentality. Rather than the traditional race to win,  Munchkin Farkle  is a race to win . . . and make your companions lose! Order now on Warehouse 23!

May 10, 2022: Sign Up For Our Newsletters!

The Daily Illuminator is a great source of daily news and happenings, but we know that keeping up with a daily blog may not be on everyone's to-do list. So we wanted to bring your attention to our dedicated newsletters for Steve Jackson Games! If you'd like news on a little bit of everything, the Three Things newsletter and our other project blasts on the fan newsletter signup will keep you up to date on anything SJ Games. If you are interested in Munchkin specifically, we have sneak previews, special rules, and more on our Munchkin Monthly newsletter. Sign up today!

– Hunter Shelburne

Warehouse 23 News: Get It Done, With GURPS

GURPS Social Engineering: Pulling Rank expands the popular rules from GURPS Action 1: Heroes that let you ask the organizations you belong to for specific assistance. Getting the help you need can be as easy as a roll of the dice . . . and a download from Warehouse 23!

May 9, 2022: Kickstarter Reports, May 2022 Update

Out of our four open campaigns, two are in the fulfillment stage, one is on the ocean, and the fourth is at print. (And a U.S.-based printer, so we should see the material delivered to Warehouse 23 late this month.) Overall, 2022 has been a good year for our Kickstarter efforts and we're launching more before the year ends.

Please follow us on Kickstarter – Steve Jackson Games and Warehouse 23 – to receive notice when we launch new campaigns.

Steve Jackson Games' Knightmare Chess Variants and Options Celebrating the return of Knightmare Chess , this project brings the existing variants and optional rules to life in a dedicated, A6-sized booklet that you can pack in the game box. There will be a PDF reward, a print reward, and reward levels that include both the 32-page booklet and the newest printing of Knightmare Chess . Please follow the project page for notification when the new campaign launches.The Fantasy Trip Quick Quests 6 and 7, Two New AdventuresApril 12 to April 25703 backers and on scheduleThe material is at print. We expect to open the BackerKit surveys for this project within the next few weeks. Steve Jackson's Munchkin Presents Batman March 1 to March 183,550 backers and on scheduleThe game is on the ocean and making its way to our fulfillment warehouse. If you missed out, there's still time to take advantage of the crowdfunding price by pre-ordering today at BackerKit. Once BackerKit pre-orders close on May 19, though, we'll push the price of the Kickstarter edition to $64.95 for sales through Warehouse 23, so act now to get the special price. The retail edition of the game is scheduled to ship to our distribution partners late this year. GURPS Girl Genius October 20 (2021) to November 8 (2021)2,915 backers and now shippingFulfillment in the U.S. and Canada is underway and will be finalized before the end of this month. EU and UK shipping was completed earlier this year. This is the last time this project will appear on this report. Car Wars Sixth Edition by Steve Jackson Games November 29 (2019) to January 6 (2020)3,936 backers, behind scheduleWe are waiting for the UK and Australia rewards to reach the fulfillment sites and then mail out to backers. U.S. fulfillment was completed before the end of 2021. EU shipping is expected to complete this month. As you can tell, global shipping continues to be a mess. Wiz-War and Groo  – a combined project for two different games – is under construction and while we do not yet have a launch date, the joint campaign is getting closer to entering the funding period. The Pocket Box 2  games are expected to reach Kickstarter later this summer (if all goes well on the fulfillment of active projects). We also have a few other small projects (including new t-shirts) to sprinkle in here and there, so please follow both Steve Jackson Games and Warehouse 23 on Kickstarter so that you don't miss anything.

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Get Social!

GURPS Social Engineering makes cajoling, flirting, interrogating, or inspiring folks easier for GURPS heroes. This award-winning supplement is your guide to all things social, with rules that improve encounters . . . even if the players aren't gifted at those skills! Download it today from Warehouse 23.

May 8, 2022: Crowdfunding Focus: Fortified Manor

Kieran Billings, who is the main sculptor for our new Hexscape and Squarescape dungeon terrain sets, has launched a Kickstarter for a beautiful manor as STL files. The unique part is that you can get up to three different versions: the manor in its prime; the manor in ruins; or the manor crudely patched up to make a stronghold for bandits, possibly non-human. The bandits' patch parts fit into the ruins, letting you use the same basic prints for two versions, or intermediate levels if you attach the patches to some sections and not others. (Do the players attack the weak points, or have they been left unrepaired because there is some threat there that the bandits don't want to face?) Kieran does superb and very creative work; his new Fortified Manor Kickstarter is well worth a look.

– Jean McGuire

Warehouse 23 News: Unleash Your Own Multiversal Madness

Imagine an alternate GURPS Infinite Worlds campaign where world-hopping isn't the domain of technology, but magic. Or don't imagine it, and instead crib from the fertile mind of Kenneth Hite, whose GURPS Infinite Worlds: Collegio Januari describes just such a campaign framework – and you can download it today from Warehouse 23!

May 7, 2022: Steve Jackson Games Is Hiring!

Steve Jackson Games is looking for a part-time Accounting Assistant! Applications are through Indeed, so please use the link to apply – don't email us or message on social media. The position is in-office and based in Austin, TX, so please take that into account (pun not intended). You can find the requisite qualifications and pay on the Indeed listing above.

Maybe you will be the next member of the team here at Steve Jackson Games!

– Hunter Shelburne

Warehouse 23 News: A Screen To Be Seen

Make your GURPS games easier than ever with the GURPS GM's Screen . It provides all the most-used charts you need for Fourth Edition fun, plus evocative artwork to inspire (or terrify) your players. It also includes a copy of GURPS Update to bring your Third Edition material to the most recent edition. Download it today from Warehouse 23!