Steve Jackson's Blog, page 132

April 16, 2022: NI3DP Part 9 - Changing The FEP Film

Eventually the FEP release film – the clear sheet at the bottom of your resin vat – will go bad. Some people can get a year of regular use out of one sheet of FEP. But if you gouge it with a scraper, or just have a bad day, you'll need to replace it a lot sooner. I got less than two months out of mine, though toward the end it was in heavy use . . . crabs! crabs! crabs! . . . I could have gone a while longer, but I had a run of bad prints and decided to do a full cleanup, including a FEP change.

FEP film is fairly cheap on Amazon; I got five sheets for about 28 bucks.

Get all the resin off the vat – wear your gloves! – and take the vat apart. Mine has no fewer than 28 little screws of three different types. Don't lose any of them. You can use the old FEP film for . . . nothing! Throw it out. Clean the metal parts again once they're separated. There are three metal parts: the vat proper, and the two halves of the resin gasket. Wash the screws with alcohol, too.

(Why are we getting everything so clean at this stage? Among other reasons, because then you won't need your gloves to put it back together.)

If it will make you feel more comfortable, watch a couple of YouTube videos on the subject. Even the one where the guy keeps repeating "eight screws" as he takes out 10 screws. I have had days like that myself.

Remember to take the protective film off both sides of your FEP sheet. Place it on the "bottom" half of the metal resin gasket. Then place the top of the gasket on top of the sheet. You can tell which is the top, because it has 14 conical holes in it to guide the smallest screws. (If you are not using a Mars 3, your mileage will differ on this.)

Punch one hole at a time, as you insert each screw. (If you don't punch a little guide hole, you will go mad trying to get the screw threaded, and if you punch them all at once, one WILL go in the wrong place.)

The first screws (14 on mine) are mounting screws. The next ones are put in from the other side, and these (10 on mine) are tensioning screws. They go through the gasket and into the vat body.

Replace and tighten each set of screws in a star pattern, going diagonally from one side to the other, as though you were putting on a spare tire. (If you have never put on a spare tire, one day you will, and you can replace the nuts in a star pattern as though you were changing FEP film. Knowledge is never wasted.)

Eventually you will get all the screws back in, and the film will be tight and will make a sound like a snaredrum. Tighten and loosen the tensioning screws to achieve this. How do you know when the film is tight enough? The Elegoo documentation with the FEP film just says "not too tight." That is so helpful that I could SPIT. But for $2.95 in the App Store, I got an app called DrumTunerEX. It's not well documented either, but for that price, they're forgiven. At any rate, once you figure out that the HIT! button means hit your drum and not hit the button, you can tune your FEP "snaredrum" to 414 Hz. Then it's tight enough.

The last four screws, the biggest of all, just secure the gasket to the vat body. Yes, three types of screws. Yes, three different Allen wrenches. All in a day's play.

One last point: If this is not play for you, but work – if time is more important to you than money, because you're selling your output and can't afford to be out of production for even a day, or because you've got a deadline before your next big game – consider investing in complete spare resin vats. For the Mars 3, at this writing, I got two for $44 with the FEP already in place and with little covers as a bonus. Then, when your FEP goes bad, you can switch to a whole new vat, and sell your used one to somebody who has more time than money, and everybody wins.

– Steve Jackson

Warehouse 23 News: Different Action!

GURPS Action 8: Twists offers a few options for taking the core of GURPS Action and looking at the genre a bit differently. Get insight into adding the supernatural, wilderness adventures, and more to your modern-day high-octane campaigns. Find big ideas in a little package, and it's just a download away from Warehouse 23!

April 15, 2022: Gen Con Participation Grants

Gen Con is working to make the convention more accessible to underprivileged groups through the Gen Con Participation Grant program! This program is meant to bring a career, community, or simply individual impact on people who would not have had the opportunity to attend the show otherwise, and that's awesome. Gen Con is a large, impressive show that can inspire creativity with the sheer number of games, literature, and artwork you can find under one roof, and seeing it in person is truly special.

Applications close May 15, so if you think you qualify, submit your application on their site. Hope to see you at the show!

– Hunter Shelburne

Warehouse 23 News: The Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game Gets A New Companion!

Add to your Dungeon Fantasy RPG campaign with the Dungeon Fantasy Companion 3. It collects gaming goodness from the PDF era of Pyramid, reformatted in one volume with added art. Professions, gear, campaign aids, adventures, and more are in store . . . and it's all at Warehouse 23!

April 14, 2022: Start Playing The Fantasy Trip With This Spectacular Bundle!

As a part of the current Quick Quests campaign on Kickstarter, we're offering bundles that include the game's core mechanics and the new adventures at remarkable prices. This is your chance to grab a copy of this classic fantasy RPG, either for the first time or as a gift for a friend you want to introduce to the game. The project offers three different introductory bundles: a PDF reward package as well as two different print reward bundles.$10 PDF Bundle - This includes Melee , Wizard , and In the Labyrinth in PDF as well as two new stand-alone micro-adventures, Quick Quest 6 and 7. You'll have to add your own dice, papers, and pencils, as well as print the included maps and counters, but this fabulous bundle otherwise has all you need to start playing The Fantasy Trip . That's over 67% off!$50 Print Bundle - The Melee and Wizard boxed game, In the Labyrinth softcover book, and the two new Quick Quest adventures in print. That's over 27% off the retail price.$80 Print Bundle (Solo Gamers) - As the $50 print bundle, plus the Death Test boxed adventure as well as the Warlock's Workshop and Red Crypt softcover books. $124 retail value, making this bundle over 35% off!The print bundles are limited and make an excellent first step into the world of The Fantasy Trip . You can find the bundles on Kickstarter between now and April 25.

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Complete The Circuit!

Dress up your cyberpunk or far-future games with this set of three 16mm d6s. The gold-on-green colors and pattern suggest a circuit board, and the pattern runs over the edges of the dice! Order Circuit Dice now on Warehouse 23!

April 13, 2022: The Munchkin Mat Of Mayhem Returns!

If you've missed out on the Mat of Mayhem , our wild 24-inch square playmat that completely disrupts and changes your Munchkin games, then now is your chance to get this tough-to-find expansion to the classic Munchkin game. Described as "a level tracker with a twist," this playmat replaces your usual method of tracking everyone's levels with choices that impact your progress from level one to level ten . . . as well as bonuses as you change levels!

The Mat of Mayhem is currently listed for pre-order at our online store, Warehouse 23, and is scheduled to ship within the next month or so. We may also have copies at our in-person convention, FnordCon, but the best way to guarantee that you get this playmat is to place your pre-order today.

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Time For Mayhem!

The  Munchkin Mat of Mayhem  is a Level tracker with a twist: every space (except lowly Level 1) has a game rule! Choose your path carefully to get the right bonus at the right time. Order now on Warehouse 23!

April 12, 2022: Dungeon Fantasy Companion 3 Available In Print And For Download

Before the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game existed in the hands of fans, it had articles and support in the pages of Pyramid magazine. Now just about all the gaming material from that PDF publication – over two dozen articles – has been compiled, lightly updated as needed, and reformatted as a collection: the Dungeon Fantasy Companion 3 !

This supplement is 174 pages of Dungeon Fantasy goodness, organized roughly in the same breakdowns as the boxed set, with new professions, character aids, magical options, monsters, adventures, and more. It's available as a full-color print book as part of our popular On Demand program, or as a downloadable digital file from Warehouse 23. And it's the same 8"x10" format as the other  Dungeon Fantasy RPG supplements, so it'll look great on your shelf next to the rest of your  Dungeon Fantasy RPG library. Dungeons are always more fun with companions, and Dungeon Fantasy Companion 3 awaits to augment your exploits!

– Steven Marsh

Warehouse 23 News: Unlock The Power Of Good Game Mastering

Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering is the best-selling classic tome that brings the wisdom of acclaimed designer Robin D. Laws ( Feng Shui , Dying Earth , and much more) to your fingertips. These gamerly gems are just a download away from Warehouse 23!

April 11, 2022: The Fantasy Trip Quick Quest PDFs

Our series of mini-adventures for use with The Fantasy Trip roleplaying game has made the leap to PDF! Each adventure is designed as a 16.5" x 8.5" tri-fold brochure that folds down to 5.5" x 8.5" in size. We've had multiple requests for these in PDF, so we've taken the steps necessary to release the first three adventures in the series as digital files. Quick Quest 1: Tipping the Scales Quick Quest 2: A Moveable Feast Quick Quest 3: The Unself King The other two adventures in the series will make their way to PDF as soon as we can manage. For even more Quick Quest adventures, please follow the Warehouse 23 account on Kickstarter for email notification when the newest adventures are ready for crowdfunding!

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: A Kilogram Of Hexagram?

If you somehow missed the first two years of Hexagram – the jam-packed zine for The Fantasy Trip – fear not! Hexagram #1-8 Bundle presents you with the initial issues at a bargain price. The bundle includes adventures, monsters, new rules, options, interviews, and much more. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

April 10, 2022: GURPS Character Assistant Version 5 Released

GURPS Character Assistant  – the popular Windows software that makes creating GURPS characters quick and easy – has been updated to Version 5, in its most ambitious update yet.

If you've purchased GCA previously, the new version is in your Download Library. If you haven't bought this software, what're you waiting for? It's a great time to unleash the power.What's New?

There's a forum post that lists the innovations of most interest. However, let's shine a spotlight on its improved speed and robustness. It also provides better support for loadouts, transformations, and armor; can generate random characters; and includes improved editors. (Check out the latest screenshots!)Important Note for Prior Users

If you're a previous user of GCA , please note that the old version (Version 4) is not compatible with this version, and is no longer supported. (You can load Version 4 characters into the new version as normal, but you can't save anything to the old format.) Those who purchased Version 4 with their Warehouse 23 accounts – basically, folks who purchased it before February 7 – have had a copy of the previous Version 4 software added to their accounts, marked as "Legacy Only." We do not recommend you use the old version (have we mentioned how amazing the new version is, also ready to download from your account?). However, if you have lots of Version 4 files and it's essential to maintain compatibility, hopefully that will make things easier for you.

Also, if you downloaded GCA5 when it was first uploaded and your version is below 5.0.172, we recommend you download the latest version from your Download Library. Like most big version changes, the software has received some bug fixes as more folks have gotten to try the updated software.

The new version of GURPS Character Assistant is a great way to build character – lots of them!

– Steven Marsh

Warehouse 23 News: It's A Hard Rock Life

Gather your clan, tend fires, and watch out for eyes in the night! Tribes is a complete Stone Age game where you hunt, gather, forge tribal laws, and – most importantly – make sure the next generation survives! Unleash this throwback game in the most high-tech way possible – by downloading it from Warehouse 23!

April 9, 2022: Car Wars Drives Through Adepticon

Steve Jackson Games made its first appearance at the Mecca of Miniatures, Adepticon! This was the first show that  Car Wars Sixth Edition was publicly available, and it drew a lot of attention. Demos were packed all weekend, with many autoduellists walking away with Double Ace boxes, and our Double Drum tournament on Saturday night ended with Michael walking away with the playmat to add to his collection! If you want to get your own Double Drum or any of the recent playmats, pre-orders are live right now and end soon.

Fans also had their first chance to play Steve Jackson's Munchkin Presents Batman with developer Will. We had a blast committing crimes with the Munchkin faithful at the show! In general, Adepticon was amazing as well. I'm a big fan of miniatures games, and there were so many incredibly painted miniatures, lush boards full of terrain, and unique and indie games I don't normally get to see in person.

Huge shout-out to everyone who came by to say hi, play a game, and pick up Car Wars. Our next show is FnordCon 5, so if you missed us in Chicago, you can visit us in Austin!

– Hunter Shelburne

Warehouse 23 News: Angels, Demons . . . And You

In Nomine Core Rulebook lets you take part in the endless modern-day battle between Heaven and Hell – on either side of the conflict, or as a human caught in the middle! Discover the core rules and explore the setting for this complete RPG with a download from Warehouse 23.

April 8, 2022: When It Comes To Dice And Dice Bags, "Colors May Vary"

Now that we're entering second (and sometimes third!) printings on a handful of our dice and dice bag designs, it's time to point out the "colors may vary" language we've used with several of the dice and dice bags we've released over the last few years. When working on a reprint, we sometimes tweak the colors – and, at times, actual artwork designs – of the dice and dice bags so that the newer printings bring something fresh to the table. These reprints often use the same stock number as the earlier printings, which means that the best way to actively select your colors is to buy at your local game store. When you order our dice and dice bags online, the item delivered may not exactly match the image the sales site is displaying.

In many cases, these variations are minor. Occasionally, we make a fairly dramatic change (such as with the Cthulhu Dice Bag , where the second printing is both a different color and features different artwork than the first printing).

You can find our different dice and dice bags at our online store, Warehouse 23, but please keep in mind that colors may vary.

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Download A Trip To The Dawn Of Gaming

The Space Gamer Bundle lets you download every issue that Steve Jackson Games published of the beloved magazine – issues 27 through 76 – at a bargain price! Get articles, features, reviews, and even some complete games, for over 2,000 pages of material! Set aside your weekend for a nostalgia trip and download it today from Warehouse 23.

April 7, 2022: The Fantasy Trip Quick Quests 6 And 7 Coming To Kickstarter!

The next two releases in the Quick Quest series of micro-adventures for The Fantasy Trip are headed to Kickstarter! These compact, tri-fold brochure adventures continue the series. Project stretch goals, if unlocked, will add another Quick Quest as well as the Quick Quest -sized Talent Reference to the project rewards.

In addition to these two new adventures, we're also offering PDF ($10) and print ($50) introductory reward levels for those of you who have not yet tried The Fantasy Trip roleplaying game. These special reward levels are an incredible bargain; so good, in fact, that we wouldn't be shocked to see those of you who already play TFT snatch them up to use as gifts.

Please follow the Kickstarter page today to receive email notification just as soon as the campaign goes live next week.

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Oops! We Overfed The Dungeon

Some GURPS games explore really deep concepts. Some go even deeper. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 21: Megadungeons provides insight into making really big dungeons, with tips for creating, populating, and enlivening them. Delve deeply into your next campaign with a download from Warehouse 23!