Steve Jackson's Blog, page 25

February 25, 2025: You're Lost At Sea, And It's Getting Dark

Editor's note: Some of the pages linked in this article contain strong language and content which has been known to warp the minds of its readers. Proceed with caution curiosity.

Have you ever wanted to consult the Tarot for clarity, perhaps to externalize your emotions around a decision-making process, but felt that the archetypes are just too arcane, and wished for a more relatable alternative? Do you know – or want to know – the difference between civil, nautical, and astronomical twilight? Are you expecting me to ask you a third rhetorical question?



Meet the Sunset Oracle , a 54-card divination deck in the style of a poker deck. The four suits are Vibes, Curse, Glamour, and Humour, and there are two jokers in there to keep you humble. You can get it on DriveThru Cards.

T.X. Watson, the deck's creator, is an artist, content creator, and researcher. You can read more about them and purchase a share of their immortal soul on their personal site, or you can support their ongoing research efforts and escapades on Patreon (which you can also join for free to follow their content – and if you go digging, there are some very fun internet quizzes there).

– Irene Zielinski

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

February 24, 2025: The Hardest Thing To See . . .

The hardest thing to see is not what's there, no matter how small.

The hardest thing to see is the thing that is not there but should be!

This is a shoutout to Matt Lee, who "saw what wasn't there" on our front page and sent me a note about it. Not to be too mysterious, it had to do with the Fighting Fantasy campaign. Which, as I write this, is rising on the chart in comparison to other campaigns, is drawing lots of intelligent comment, and over the weekend it flew past $150,000 and then just kept going!

If you loved these classic books a decade or two ago, it's time to fill out your collection. And if you have never played them, it's PAST time . . . but not too late! Come see what we have for you!

– Steve Jackson

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

February 23, 2025: Introducing Jay Dragon As Lead Game Designer

Hi! My name's Jay, and as you probably know from the recent news, I've been brought on as lead game designer at Steve Jackson Games. It's a big fancy title (and a tremendous honor), but I imagine it's also a big surprise for some of you. Who does this girl think she is? Where did she come from? What's she going to do to my GURPS ? So I wanted to talk a bit about my history of game design, what I'm bringing to Steve Jackson Games, and what I hope to accomplish in the future. I got my start designing games when I was 14 at the Wayfinder Experience, a summer camp in the Hudson Valley famous for its LARPs and its star-studded alumni (including Brennan Lee Mulligan, Molly Ostertag, and others). I was a voracious LARP-writer, and it would be 5 years before I ever even touched a tabletop RPG. My focus during that time was on high-immersion games, horror, and using the game as a ritualized vessel for self-transfiguration. I got into tabletop RPGs completely sideways, through Ten Candles , Monsterhearts , and Dungeons & Dragons 4E (and this was after 5th edition came out!). In college I ended up running a lot of D&D 5E , but I often used it as a container for my own interests (as I think many people do). In college I also played a tremendous amount of online RP, specifically with a bespoke system my roommate and I made to model political intrigue. It was sprawling and complex, but it was my first foray into non-LARP game design. In 2019, I dropped out of college and was couch-surfing around the Hudson Valley when I decided to take the jump into tabletop RPG design, as part of the Itch.io "explosion" of 2019-2020. I published Sleepaway , a queer horror RPG that made use of a deck of playing cards to model the monster (who you must never under any circumstances roleplay as). It was a modest success by my modest indie standards, and it pushed me to help with more Kickstarters and help get more games out into the world. It was also the first time I worked in a professional context with Ruby Lavin (aka. "Grubby"), who would go on to be my business partner and one of my dearest friends.  Grubby is a genius with art and layout, and her mastery combined with my madness pushed us to crowdfund Wanderhome in 2020. An experiment in minimalism (and a cozy departure from my history of horror), the game tapped into the zeitgeist of the early pandemic and it seized hold of the imagination of a lot of people. Way more than we expected. It taught me a ton about Systems of Relation and the function of art in games. That work pushed me to co-create, with M Veselak,  Yazeba's Bed & Breakfast , a sprawling maximalist pile of many smaller games that build together into the elaborate story of a Bed & Breakfast over the course of many years. When people picture my work, they often picture games like these – fluffy rules, comfy-cozy settings, and loose narratives. But It's not what brought me to Steve Jackson Games. As work on Yazeba's wrapped up, I found myself longing for something . . . new. I was thinking a lot about the way the rules of a game outline a certain worldview, and they box and constrain the players into that worldview. Rules are a cage, but I freaking love that. So what happens if I go all in and make a game where the rules are all-encompassing and all-dominating but the fun part is trying to break out of the rules? This led me to write Seven-Part Pact , my extremely ambitious wizardgame TTRPG where each wizard plays their own board game and uses magic to try to bend the rules in their favor. It was Seven-Part Pact that caught Steve's eye, and through discussions and sessions of it, it's part of how I've found myself here.  My background means I think about game mechanics differently than most TTRPG designers. To me, first and foremost, players are picking up a book and engaging with it like a toy. That means the mechanics themselves need to function as toy-objects that players manipulate, the same way you may handle a sword in a LARP. When rules construct (through simulation) the entire world, they teach us how the game-narrator sees the world, their biases, and their perspectives. We, as players, can lean into these biases or push against them, and in a well-designed game, any mode of engagement is worthwhile. I can't speak to how I plan to help out with GURPS or other TTRPG systems (although you may hear more from me on that soon), but I can tell you my philosophy at its core: I seek rules that convey emotional meaning and poetry without sacrificing mechanical utility, that are complemented by beautiful artwork, and that give players the tools to express themselves and feel present in the worlds of the game. Time will tell how well I succeed, but I'm excited to get designin'!

– Jay Dragon

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

February 22, 2025: Buckle In For The Longest Joke In The World

I stumbled across what purports to be "the longest joke in the world." Having undertaken the journey, I believe it. It's not the best joke in the world, but . . . well, it doesn't claim to be. If you're curious — and have a lot of time and/or patience — point your browser of choice at LongestJokeInTheWorld.com.

– Steven Marsh

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

February 21, 2025: Risk-y Business

There are a few games that have been standard shelf-warmers in American homes for generations. Monopoly , Sorry! , The Game of Life , and the one that actually found itself at the table in my home, Risk . I played it with my father and, over the years, taught many friends the perils of taking Australia. Imagine my surprise when, in late high school, I found a new version of Risk at the store. Not just one of the variants based on a specific country or historic battle. No, this one was set in the future. You could rule undersea colonies or conquer the moon with the help of special units that could roll a d8 instead of a d6. Risk 2210 quickly became my favorite.  I have to believe that the household copy of the original Risk sits high in the back of the linen closet in my parents'  house to this day, but my well-loved copy of 2210 is here with me, many states and plays away from its original shelf. I still try to get it to the table these days, despite the hundreds of other games I now own. Here we are, 24 years later . . .  and the good folks at Renegade Game Studios have announced an expansion for Risk 2210. I'm frankly amazed. And thrilled that I'll have an even better excuse for why I want to play it instead of any of the numerous new games I have (that are still shrink wrapped!). Whenever someone asks us about bringing back an out-of-print title or about new content for an old favorite, our standard response is that we 'never say never.'  What games, of ours or in general, would you like to see new content for? What's the oldest game you can think of that has suddenly gotten a new expansion? Let me know on the forums!

– Devin Lewis

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

February 20, 2025: Steve Jackson Games Returns To GAMA Expo 2025!

The Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) yearly Expo is coming up in just a few days and Steve Jackson Games will be there! The Kentucky International Convention Center and The Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky will host the convention from February 25-27. This industry trade show is a time for publishers, creators, media, and retailers to connect during a week of seminars, demos, and exhibits.  We're excited to announce that Steve Jackson himself will be in attendance, so if you'd like to meet him, you're in luck! Possum Creek Games, now an imprint of Steve Jackson Game, will be at the booth as well, so stop by to meet Jay Dragon, creator of Wanderhome .  You can find us in the Exhibit Hall at Booth 1024, and we hope to see you there!

– Michelle Richardson

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

February 19, 2025: Join The Adventure! The Fighting Fantasy Kickstarter Is Here!

What's better than tales of adventure, swords, sorcery and triumph? Tales of adventure, swords, sorcery and triumph in which YOU are the hero, of course! The Fighting Fantasy Kickstarter is officially live, so now is the time to make your pledge – and make room on your bookshelf – for these epic tomes. Pledge levels include:A $1 pledge level, which gives you access to the Pledge Manager after the campaign closes.A $15 pledge level, which includes a copy of The Warlock of Firetop Mountain .A $60 pledge level, which includes all five  Fighting Fantasy books from this campaign.A special $60 Retailer pledge level, which includes two copies of the  Fighting Fantasy five-book sets (store subject to verification).The first stretch goal for the project is an adventure sheet PDF, which every backer will receive if the campaign reaches its initial funding goal. What comes after that? You'll just have to follow the campaign to find out!

– Katie Duffy

 

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

February 18, 2025: It Was 25 Years Ago Today . . .

Well, not "today" today, probably, although anniversaries can be tricky to pin down. But way back in February 2000, I started doing stuff for Steve Jackson Games, releasing the first issue of Pyramid magazine I edited on February 18, 2000.

I went on to edit Pyramid for . . . well, I still edit it when new issues come out (like the 2022 GURPS Pyramid Scheme). Pyramid won a few Origins awards along the way.

During that time, I met Nikki Vrtis. She edits and lays out GURPS books (and has done so for 15+ years). We got married; we had a kid – who's now an adult. In the meantime I've done lots more stuff with GURPS , and anywhere I'm useful at the company. Nowadays, I also wrangle making the Fighting Fantasy books available for audiences in the United States.

So, yeah, that first issue of Pyramid was kind of significant for me. If you want to check it out, you can pick up the 2000 year archive from Warehouse 23 – although the the full collection of the Pyramid HTML archive is a way better deal.

(Although, to be honest, I don't dare read anything I wrote back then . . . Heck, I don't even like to read what I write now; I trust Nikki to edit me, like she'll do on this Daily Illuminator post.)

Thanks to everyone who's made the first quarter century possible, and I'll start drafting my next update for 2050!

– Steven Marsh

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

February 17, 2025: An Awesome New Terrain System: Lorescape

Last year, when I was at the UK Games Exposition, I stopped at a stand that was displaying brightly-printed hexagonal tiles that interlocked to build landscapes. You could use them in any scale, from laying out a continent to building a battle map with one character per hex. I asked how much they were, thinking my Melee demo set was about to get an upgrade. But woe is me! They were not on sale yet. "We plan to crowdfund next year," said the affable chap running the stand. All these beautiful tiles were just prototypes!

Then I did something that I just don't do. I asked James (James Simonds, the mad genius behind Lorescape) if he was looking for startup money. Yes, that's how much I liked what I saw. And he said "Maaaaaaybe!"

Fast forward. It's 2025. I am an investor and sort of "assistant brand ambassador" (the actual Brand Ambassador is the incomparable Felicia Day, who likes these tiles as much as I do). The Kickstarter for Lorescape is a few days away from launch. There's a major licensing deal in the works, and I'll tell you about that when I can.



What I can tell you right now is: These are awesome. They're so precisely engineered that they stay together in play, but come apart when you deliberately pull at them (there's even a "pickax" tool to let you get one out of the middle of a map). There's a wide variety of biomes, and stretch goals will add more.

And what I'd like you to do right now is visit their Kickstarter landing page for more information. Then click the link so you're notified when this launches for real.

– Steve Jackson

 

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

February 16, 2025: Today's Recommendation: Toffee!

There's no wrong way or time to celebrate Valentine's Day, right? So you're not DONE with Valentine's even though it was a couple of days ago, right? Right. If you're looking to impress someone (or just indulge yourself!), I'd like to offer a treat that punches way above its weight class – seeming far too tasty and elegant for the amount of work it takes. Try toffee!

This rich, buttery treat costs big bucks if you buy it from the store, but it's really easy to make if you have the time to devote your attention to it. The only strange equipment you need is a candy thermometer.

Search around online for a recipe you like; I believe this one from AllRecipe is the one I've used most recently, but they're all pretty much the same: equal parts butter and sugar, some salt, and then however you wanna doctor it up (usually chocolate, often nuts).

Toffee is a lot like the best games: Simple yet rewarding, and you'll probably get sick if you eat a whole box.

– Steven Marsh

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!