Steve Jackson's Blog, page 159

July 22, 2021: On The Road Again!

After 18 months of not attending a gaming convention in person, we're eager to announce our Convention Schedule for the 2021 season! That's right, we've booked our flights, reserved the booths, booked our rooms, and chosen our travel dates. Though many of our favorite conventions have moved dates, canceled because of Covid related restrictions, or pushed back to next year, there are a few that are going to take place and – we're going to be there!

Here is a list of the conventions and dates we are currently scheduled to attend. We can't begin to relay how excited we all are to see you all again, real soon! Gen Con September 16-19 (Indianapolis, IN) Origins Game Fair  September 30-October 3 (Columbus, OH) PAX Unplugged December 10-12 (Philadelphia, PA)We are currently updating our web page and Facebook Events page for known conventions, both in person and virtual, so if you are a convention organizer and would like to get on our calendar, either to attend or to support, check it out here.

– Eric Dow

Editor's note: Check out the interview on #SJGamesLive with Eric to hear more about the safety changes and other details of our convention planning!

Warehouse 23 News: Ain't No Party Like A Munchkin Party!

'Cause a Munchkin Party don't stop! Unless you reach level 10, in which case, you win! And then you can stop. Jazz up your Munchkin game with the all-new mini-expansion Munchkin Party Pack ! Add 15 cards to your favorite Munchkin version, and get three copies each of five more new  Munchkin cards to give away to your friends as party favors! Get this party started by ordering your copy on Warehouse 23 today!

July 21, 2021: MicroMacro: Crime City Wins The Spiel Des Jahres

We wanted to take a moment to congratulate our friends over at Pegasus Spiele (for non-German fans, they are our partners in Germany) for winning the most prestigious award in board gaming, the Spiel Des Jahres, for their game MicroMacro: Crime City ! The SdJ is game of the year in Germany, and considered the top of the mountain for awards in our industry, so it's an enormous honor just to be nominated, much less win. 

I haven't had a chance to get my hands on MicroMacro yet, but now that it's won the SdJ I'm betting my odds of finding a copy will increase a bit with more games printing, as winning this award is a huge boon for games. The concept of a detective game where you have to analyze a Where's Waldo-esque map is very unique, and it's been on my buylist since I heard about it, so now I have to see what it's all about. 

Congratulations again to Pegasus Spiele, and here's to a great game! 

– Hunter Shelburne

Warehouse 23 News: Humanity Optional

Become the elf, alien, or robot of your dreams with GURPS Template Toolkit 2: Races. Not a mere catalog, this is your guide to creating non-human templates in GURPS, with insight into what makes them tick, how to keep them interesting, and how to add flavor and fun to your gaming world. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

July 20, 2021: Carry Your Game Notes In Style

If these pocket folders had existed back in the eighties, you'd better believe that I would have had several of them to use for my Car Wars , Battletech , and AD&D sheets and notes. Featuring classic Steve Jackson Games artwork from many of our biggest hits of the eighties, these twelve 9" x 12" pocket folders are available today – and only at Warehouse 23.

These dozen folders include artwork from Battlesuit , Car Wars , Illuminati , Ogre , and many more! 

To add near-exact reprints of many of these Steve Jackson Games Pocket Box titles to your collection, don't miss the assortment of games and expansions that are available right now.

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Bombing Blobs!

Blob Lobber is a fast-paced card game for 2 to 4 players where players take turns flinging Blob cards. If your card lands with a Bomb showing, you claim all the enemy Blobs beneath it . . . but if more Blobs turn up, your opponents may be able to Bomb more Blobs than you! Grab your friends and lob some cards! Pick up your copy now on Warehouse 23!

July 19, 2021: Last Chance! The GURPS 2021 PDF Challenge Ends Today!

As of this writing, the GURPS 2021 PDF Challenge is closing in on the final hours . . . and the very last stretch goal! 

The remaining stretch goal is  GURPS Action Adventure 1: Templar's Gold !

Already, supporters at the $3 pledge level and higher will receive eleven new GURPS PDFs as their project reward. Can we unlock the last stretch goal and push that number to an even dozen? We just might with your support!

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: A Rain Of Terror

Keep your eye on the prize . . . or at least the bloody-great storm coming your way! GURPS Disasters: Hurricane gives you all you need to unleash this atmospheric apocalypse upon your gaming world. Whether gaming in the past, present, or future, nature will not be denied . . . so it's best to be prepared with a download from Warehouse 23!

July 18, 2021: Tunes For Your Sci-Fi Sessions

Does your GURPS Space  (or any other sci-fi RPG) need an incredible selection of atmospheric jams to make the game a little more immersive and exciting? I'm going to recommend giving the albums Cosmic Hero EP and Cosmic Hero 2 a listen. These synthwave albums have been getting a lot of time in my headphones lately, and both are wonderful ambient space rock works that you can keep humming in the background during your next game session. Definitely worth checking out!

– Phil Reed

Do you need more game content for your GURPS Space campaign? The GURPS 2021 PDF Challenge ends tomorrow and includes a new entry in the Space Atlas series. Join us today!Cosmic Hero EP by Earmake

Warehouse 23 News: Jurassic Munchkin!

Munchkin meets the Jurassic age! Munchkin 9 - Jurassic Snark takes munchkins to a long-gone era to fight dangers they've never before encountered. We were so preoccupied with whether we could, we didn't stop to think if we should . . . but that's never stopped us before! Get your copy today at Warehouse 23!

July 17, 2021: Game Design Workshop At Dragon Con

Along with author and Mayfair Games founder Bill Fawcett, I will be hosting a two-day workshop at this year's Dragon Con. There will be discussions each morning and game presentations in the afternoon. Our speakers will include Lynnvander Studios' Thomas Gofton, Jean McGuire (Wintertree Software), Phillip E. Pournelle (author and U.S. Navy wargame designer), Kenneth Hite (author of over 100 roleplaying games and supplements), and N.Y. Times best-selling author S.M. Stirling. Each student is encouraged to bring a prototype or draft of a game or supplement they wish to have reviewed, but you do not have to bring one! Sign up here; membership is limited to 20.

– Steve Jackson

Warehouse 23 News: A Book To Die For

Unleash the forces of the unliving in The Fantasy Trip with The Book of Unlife . This supplement includes 44 threats that make a mockery of life, plus a complete adventure setting perfect for spotlighting things that refuse to die. Horror awaits at Warehouse 23!

July 16, 2021: As Requested: $99 Reward Level In The GURPS 2021 PDF Challenge

During last year's GURPS PDF Challenge, we offered a $99 reward that included those new PDFs as well as $125 credit to spend in BackerKit on existing GURPS PDFs. We offered similar rewards in the GURPS Pyramid Scheme Kickstarter project earlier this year, and at the time there were multiple "I've got all I want!" comments online. When we sat down to construct this year's GURPS PDF Challenge (now funding!), we remembered the online comments and decided not to spend energy building another high-dollar PDF reward level.

It turns out that some of you still wanted a $99 reward level similar to the one we offered during last year's campaign. So, we took time to open a $99 reward level in the new project, which includes all of the new PDFs that are unlocked before the project ends as well as $125 in BackerKit credit. It is important that we note this says BackerKit credit. This is not Warehouse 23 credit and any unspent credit is not moved to Warehouse 23. Also, after the headaches surrounding this reward last year, any unspent credit will be lost when the survey deadline strikes. We cannot keep the credit open forever, and we cannot jump through the hoops necessary to refund unspent credit. So if you select this reward (or the $30 reward level that also includes BackerKit credit), make sure to complete your survey and spend all of your credit before the survey deadline. Any unspent credit will be lost when the survey closes.

The GURPS 2021 PDF Challenge comes to a close on Monday. Can we unlock those last PDFs before the campaign comes to an end? With your support, we will get a little closer to unlocking the last of the still-locked PDFs.

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: You're A Wizard!

And now you get to prove your mettle against other wizards and witches and battle villains and monsters to see who can get to level 10 first! Munchkin Harry Potter takes you back to Hogwarts and lets you fight for your favorite house. Get your wand ready and pick up a copy from Warehouse 23 today!

July 15, 2021: Kickstarter Reports, July 2021 Update

We wrapped up fulfillment of a couple of campaigns over the last month, bringing our total number of active Kickstarter campaigns down to three. One of those, Car Wars , has been an especially frustrating experience for everyone – backers, us, our printing partners – but we're finally watching the containers leave the port and start their long journey to our primary U.S. warehouse.

We have several upcoming campaigns, including a new Munchkin game that is our biggest Munchkin project of the year. This licensed* game was designed by Steve Jackson, illustrated by John Kovalic, and is set to launch on Kickstarter with over 250 cards already in the game. News to come! 

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

Steve Jackson Games' GURPS 2021 PDF ChallengeJuly 8 to July 191,540 backers and still fundingThis follow-up to last year's 2020 PDF Challenge was created speciifcally for those GURPS players and GMs who want to add several new GURPS PDFs to their library at once. If you're a GURPS fan, this is the campaign you do not want to miss.The Fantasy Trip Quick Quests 2 and 3, Two New AdventuresJune 1 to June 6587 backers and on scheduleJust as soon as the Labyrinth Encounter Cards are ready, we will start shipping Kickstarter rewards and BackerKit preorders. Car Wars Sixth Edition by Steve Jackson Games November 29 (2019) to January 6 (2020)3,936 backers, behind scheduleThe first three containers are booked and entering the ocean freight process and, if all goes well, the other two containers will ship before the end of this month. The state of global shipping is such a mess that we have no reliable estimated delivery date for those containers. At the moment, we are at the mercy of the freight gods and can only adapt to an ever-changing shipping nightmare.As mentioned, that's three open campaigns. Two of them – the GURPS 2021 PDF Challenge and the Quick Quests project – are on schedule and should deliver without issue. The third, Car Wars , is at least closer to fulfillment than it was, but we still have no exact date when we will start mailing backer rewards.

Please follow both Steve Jackson Games and Warehouse 23 on Kickstarter so that you don't miss any of our upcoming campaigns.

– Phil Reed

* And this is not a tiny or obscure license. This one's a long-running, popular franchise that has been entertaining the world for decades. Getting the chance to add this to the  Munchkin family has been a real treat and we're looking forward to when all of you get a chance to play this one. It is wild!

Warehouse 23 News: Battle Is Half The Knowing!

The Fantasy Trip has had a rich four-decade history, and now you can discover some of the artifacts of that fantastic fighting game, with The Fantasy Trip Companion . This collection of historical articles range from Steve Jackson's original designer's notes (first published in 1980) to articles and resources from its ultra-successful 2018 Kickstarter. Take a trip down memory lane thanks to a download from Warehouse 23!

July 14, 2021: Expect Fun With GURPS? You Bet!

No matter how good a GURPS GM is, they're nothing without their players. And for the GM to be their best, they need to get on the same page as those players. Now that's easier than ever, with How to Be a GURPS GM: Managing Expectations .

From the quill of GURPS Line Editor Sean Punch, Managing Expectations looks at a variety of topics and gives gamers the insight they need to make sure they're all getting the experience they want. It's an easy, breezy guide, in the vein of the best-selling How to Be a GURPS GM . And it's available to download now, thanks to Warehouse 23!

– Steven Marsh

Warehouse 23 News: A New Way To Munchkin!

When you need a short detour from the business of killing monsters and betraying your friends, you need Munchkin Side Quests! Get secret in-game goals that you can complete to cash in for a reward AND, just maybe, surprise everyone with a new way to win the game! Order now on Warehouse 23!

July 13, 2021: Grab A Signed Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game Box Set On Kickstarter!

Have you not yet joined the GURPS 2021 PDF Challenge? Have you been meaning to add the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game box set to your game collection? Would you also like to get that box set signed by Steve Jackson?

Now you can!

As a part of the GURPS 2021 PDF Challenge campaign on Kickstarter, we have created a $100 reward level that includes the new PDFs (all that are unlocked during the campaign) as well as a signed copy of the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game box set and a print copy of the Monsters 2 expansion. To take advantage of this oppportunity, join the GURPS 2021 PDF Challenge at the $100 reward level and then sit back and wait for the goodies to roll in. (Of course, you'll also have to complete your BackerKit survey and pay the shipping costs post-Kickstarter, but that's a minor part of the process and won't happen until after the Kickstarter campaign has ended.)

Click here to join the GURPS 2021 PDF Challenge today! Hurry, though, because the project ends in less than a week and you do not want to miss your chance at the GURPS deal of the year.

– Phil Reed

Warehouse 23 News: Fight For Free!

Did you know you can get a complete game, free, ready to print and play? The Fantasy Trip: Melee is a fast-moving fantasy game where you design a fighter, equip them for battle, and then pit them against other warriors – or even monsters! You also can buy a physical copy (or even get The Fantasy Trip Legacy Edition for a larger experience), but the complete stand-alone basics are just a download away from Warehouse 23!