Steve Jackson's Blog, page 31
December 29, 2024
December 29, 2024: Important Duck Data
You know you shouldn't pick up a duck in a dungeon. Period.
But what about elsewhere? I was delighted to find out that the Internet, which knows everything, knows this too. Thanks to @seducktive for realizing that this information needed to be shared, and to Guy Himber for the tip!
– 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!
But what about elsewhere? I was delighted to find out that the Internet, which knows everything, knows this too. Thanks to @seducktive for realizing that this information needed to be shared, and to Guy Himber for the tip!
– 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!
December 28, 2024
December 28, 2024: New Year Games?
It's time to start thinking about New Year's celebrations! Our household has found that New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are perfect times to play games. For New Year's Eve, we tend to commence the fun in the evening. Our final game for the night is an at-home escape room or other timed co-op game that's set to "end" at midnight. If we "escape" the year in time, we win! If not . . . there's always next December.
New Year's Day is more relaxed, depending on what hour our household wakes up. We usually start the year off right with a campaign-style offering or other game that we can play for most of the day, with breaks for snacks or meals. In recent years, we've done linked scenarios for Marvel Champions , since heroically saving the world feels productively fun. I'm not sure what our plans are yet for this year-digit increment, but I suspect it'll involve Chex Mix.
If you have a traditional New Year's routine, I'd love to hear about it on the forums!
– 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!
New Year's Day is more relaxed, depending on what hour our household wakes up. We usually start the year off right with a campaign-style offering or other game that we can play for most of the day, with breaks for snacks or meals. In recent years, we've done linked scenarios for Marvel Champions , since heroically saving the world feels productively fun. I'm not sure what our plans are yet for this year-digit increment, but I suspect it'll involve Chex Mix.
If you have a traditional New Year's routine, I'd love to hear about it on the forums!
– 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!
December 27, 2024
December 27, 2024: Games: Gifts That Keep On Giving!
If you live in a household with some folks and you all game together, here's a holiday idea: surprise yourself!
Figure out how many game days you want to play this holiday season. Divide those days among the number of gamers in the household. Next, each person picks a number of games equal to their assigned number of days from your game library and wrap them up. (Our household loves gift bags with tissue paper both for their reusability and their capacity to obfuscate the size and shape of gifts.)
Once the game day comes around, someone "unwraps" an appropriate game-present, and that's what you play that day!
So, for example, if you have six more days before you have to go back to work next year, and there are three of you in the house, you each pick two games and wrap (or otherwise disguise) them.
Obviously, if there are not a conveniently divisible number of days and players, you'll just have to let some players pick an extra game to make the numbers work out . . . or each person picks an equal number of games regardless and wrap them all, knowing that there will still be mystery. (Five game days and three gamers? You each pick two!)
This is the absolute barebones idea; it can be tweaked according the needs of the gamers and household. (For example, if you normally play games that take one or two hours each and you want to fill six-hour sessions, then you'd each wrap three or so games per session.)
Still, the idea is to rotate through some lesser-played gems in your collection and add a spark of mystery and holiday surprise – at a super-low cost, since you already own the games!
– 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!
Figure out how many game days you want to play this holiday season. Divide those days among the number of gamers in the household. Next, each person picks a number of games equal to their assigned number of days from your game library and wrap them up. (Our household loves gift bags with tissue paper both for their reusability and their capacity to obfuscate the size and shape of gifts.)
Once the game day comes around, someone "unwraps" an appropriate game-present, and that's what you play that day!
So, for example, if you have six more days before you have to go back to work next year, and there are three of you in the house, you each pick two games and wrap (or otherwise disguise) them.
Obviously, if there are not a conveniently divisible number of days and players, you'll just have to let some players pick an extra game to make the numbers work out . . . or each person picks an equal number of games regardless and wrap them all, knowing that there will still be mystery. (Five game days and three gamers? You each pick two!)
This is the absolute barebones idea; it can be tweaked according the needs of the gamers and household. (For example, if you normally play games that take one or two hours each and you want to fill six-hour sessions, then you'd each wrap three or so games per session.)
Still, the idea is to rotate through some lesser-played gems in your collection and add a spark of mystery and holiday surprise – at a super-low cost, since you already own the games!
– 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!
December 26, 2024
December 26, 2024: I'm Sorry; Penguins?!
When I prepare Daily Illuminator material, I like to double-check that I haven't talked about something before (or, at least, not recently). So, when I crafted my recent post discussing the XKCD "Ten Thousand" comic, I did some research on our site.
The number "10,000" didn't show up in conjunction with "XKCD," so I think I'm clear there. However, the phrase "ten thousand" appeared twice; since it's a bit contrary to our style guide, I checked them out.
One post was about the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) from September 16, 2009: "The Tabletop Gaming . . . area covered about ten thousand square feet of meeting rooms, plus the tables set up in the hallways." Okay, that one's not a reference to the comic, so I'm fine there.
And the other post? From February 14, 1996: "Perhaps ten thousand penguins turn their heads in unison watching the planes go by . . ."
Folks, working for the Illuminati is kinda weird at times. (Of course, maybe there's more to penguins than we realize.)
– 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!
The number "10,000" didn't show up in conjunction with "XKCD," so I think I'm clear there. However, the phrase "ten thousand" appeared twice; since it's a bit contrary to our style guide, I checked them out.
One post was about the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) from September 16, 2009: "The Tabletop Gaming . . . area covered about ten thousand square feet of meeting rooms, plus the tables set up in the hallways." Okay, that one's not a reference to the comic, so I'm fine there.
And the other post? From February 14, 1996: "Perhaps ten thousand penguins turn their heads in unison watching the planes go by . . ."
Folks, working for the Illuminati is kinda weird at times. (Of course, maybe there's more to penguins than we realize.)
– 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!
December 25, 2024
December 25, 2024: Emily J Stegamos And The Mien Bestiary
I'd like to direct your attention to
The Mien Bestiary,
an art book full of fantastical creatures by Emily J Stegamos which is on Kickstarter right now! Emily is an Atlanta-area artist I've admired for some time, and I was recently fortunate enough to get her to illustrate something for a game that I designed . . . which you will hear about in due time, as it's a piece for an upcoming SJ Games project that isn't quite ready to be revealed!In the meantime, you can also follow her on Facebook and check out her creatures! An eternal favorite of mine is her possum pigeon trash gryphon (which, incidentally, is available as a sticker in her Etsy store right now).
The bestiary project runs through the 27th, and I'd love to see it hit the full-color stretch goal, so go show her some support if you're a fan of imaginative, beautifully illustrated beasties!
– 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!
December 24, 2024
December 24, 2024: I Want A Coffin For Christmas
Sure, you probably think it doesn't make a lot of sense to go to a movie just for the popcorn bucket. As a counterpoint, consider the awesome plastic coffin for the Nosferatu movie. Just think of how many dice and awesome horror-themed games I could put in there . . .
Of course, if the household budget doesn't think it's prudent to see a movie I have no interest in, maybe it's more logical to just buy the $25,000 stand-alone Nosferatu coffin bed . . .
– 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!
Of course, if the household budget doesn't think it's prudent to see a movie I have no interest in, maybe it's more logical to just buy the $25,000 stand-alone Nosferatu coffin bed . . .
– 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!
December 23, 2024
December 23, 2024: Escape Ordinary Gift Cards?
Last year I had some not-so-humble suggestions for how to make a gift certificate (such as those for the wondrous Warehouse 23) a little more exciting. So, when the holiday spirit spurs you to gift-giving greatness, consider taking a little extra time to make the gift-getting experience even better.
If your recipient is of the right temperament and mindset, I recommend a puzzle hunt. These can be as straightforward or elaborate as your inclination and skills allow. I enjoy making puzzles, and it's fun to inflict, err, create challenges for others to endur- enjoy. I meant enjoy. However, the challenges don't need to be grandiose. Even a series of sequential notes provides a momentary flush of excitement: "Check the oven" leads to "go to the dryer," which has a note saying "behind the TV," etc.
Any of those steps can be either obfuscated (by a puzzle, riddle, or the like) and/or enhanced, such as by putting a different photo of you and the recipient with each clue to remind them that you two are pretty awesome together.
If you want to go for something a bit more elaborate, you could download and print an "escape room" with the gift certificate being the final prize. There are many good, free options, but I'm a fan of the commercial offerings from Lock Paper Scissors.
With gift certificates, a printer, and some creativity, it's never too late to give an awesome gift! I mean, until it is. We're good, but we're probably not time travelers . . .
– 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!
If your recipient is of the right temperament and mindset, I recommend a puzzle hunt. These can be as straightforward or elaborate as your inclination and skills allow. I enjoy making puzzles, and it's fun to inflict, err, create challenges for others to endur- enjoy. I meant enjoy. However, the challenges don't need to be grandiose. Even a series of sequential notes provides a momentary flush of excitement: "Check the oven" leads to "go to the dryer," which has a note saying "behind the TV," etc.
Any of those steps can be either obfuscated (by a puzzle, riddle, or the like) and/or enhanced, such as by putting a different photo of you and the recipient with each clue to remind them that you two are pretty awesome together.
If you want to go for something a bit more elaborate, you could download and print an "escape room" with the gift certificate being the final prize. There are many good, free options, but I'm a fan of the commercial offerings from Lock Paper Scissors.
With gift certificates, a printer, and some creativity, it's never too late to give an awesome gift! I mean, until it is. We're good, but we're probably not time travelers . . .
– 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!
December 22, 2024
December 22, 2024: PAX Unplugged 2025 Wrap Up
In 2004, the folks behind the Penny Arcade webcomic decided to take their community to the next level and set up a show that was a celebration of games and gaming culture. The Penny Arcade Expo, aka PAX, has grown ever since, expanding to multiple shows across the country and even an Australian show. Noticing that the tabletop gaming sections of their shows also kept growing every year, in 2017 they decided to dedicate an event specifically for them, and so PAX Unplugged was born.
The Steve Jackson Games team headed back to Philadelphia once again for this year's PAX Unplugged the first week of December. We were in the exhibitor hall along one of the main aisles, so we got to see a lot of folks over the weekend. The large center aisle was great for cosplay watching from the booth! For those that stopped by, we were showing off
Munchkin Shadowrun
, the new 2-player starter set Car Wars Orange/Purple,
Pathfinder Revolution!
,
Hack & Slash Deluxe
, and others! Thanks to everyone that came by for a demo, to shop, to have meetings with us, or just to chat and tell us how much you've enjoyed our games over the years!
A highlight of this show for me is visiting Reading Terminal Market before the show or during lunch. It's a huge indoor space with tons of food shops, bakeries, coffee shops, and handicraft markets. The wide variety of things to see and taste there is always fantastic. From the obligatory cheesesteaks, to El Salvadorian pupusas, a creperie, and a cajun diner, the choices are vast!
Everyone knows that the convention doesn't end for the day when the dealer's hall closes, but what about for the dealers themselves? Well, it depends on the day. Sometimes we just want dinner and to crawl into bed, but other times we have more events to go to as well. Last year for me, it was a late night marathon of
Blood on the Clocktower,
but this year Steve Jackson Games, Backerkit, and Foreteller sponsored an industry event at Kick Axe Philly one night to socialize with other folks that work to make great games happen. Some of us even managed to get a few axe throws to start landing! Thanks to everyone that joined us there and hung out for a great evening.
– Jimmie Bragdon
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!
The Steve Jackson Games team headed back to Philadelphia once again for this year's PAX Unplugged the first week of December. We were in the exhibitor hall along one of the main aisles, so we got to see a lot of folks over the weekend. The large center aisle was great for cosplay watching from the booth! For those that stopped by, we were showing off
Munchkin Shadowrun
, the new 2-player starter set Car Wars Orange/Purple,
Pathfinder Revolution!
,
Hack & Slash Deluxe
, and others! Thanks to everyone that came by for a demo, to shop, to have meetings with us, or just to chat and tell us how much you've enjoyed our games over the years!A highlight of this show for me is visiting Reading Terminal Market before the show or during lunch. It's a huge indoor space with tons of food shops, bakeries, coffee shops, and handicraft markets. The wide variety of things to see and taste there is always fantastic. From the obligatory cheesesteaks, to El Salvadorian pupusas, a creperie, and a cajun diner, the choices are vast!
Everyone knows that the convention doesn't end for the day when the dealer's hall closes, but what about for the dealers themselves? Well, it depends on the day. Sometimes we just want dinner and to crawl into bed, but other times we have more events to go to as well. Last year for me, it was a late night marathon of
Blood on the Clocktower,
but this year Steve Jackson Games, Backerkit, and Foreteller sponsored an industry event at Kick Axe Philly one night to socialize with other folks that work to make great games happen. Some of us even managed to get a few axe throws to start landing! Thanks to everyone that joined us there and hung out for a great evening.– Jimmie Bragdon
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!
December 21, 2024
December 21, 2024: See You In 2025!
The Steve Jackson Games office and warehouse will be closed beginning Saturday, December 21, for our holiday break. We'll return on Thursday, January 2, and shipping will resume at that time. But don't worry – the Daily Illuminator will continue! We'll keep bringing you great content here and on our social media channels. Have a great holiday, and we'll see you in 2025!
– 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!
– 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!
December 20, 2024
December 20, 2024: Get 15% Off Digital Downloads During Our Solstice Savings Sale
Winter is here (well, technically it starts tomorrow!), and it's the perfect time of year to stay indoors reading and playing games. While the holiday shipping deadline may have passed, you can still find great gifts during our Solstice Savings Sale. From now until January 2, we're offering a discount on PDFs and STLs from some of your favorite games, including
GURPS
,
Car Wars
,
The Fantasy Trip
, and much more. Whether you want to catch up on Hexagram, print some new STLs, or gather around the table with friends, this sale has something for you. A couple of notes: New releases are excluded. A minimum $20 purchase of qualifying items is required for the discount to be applied. Once unlocked, the discount will be reflected in your cart. Hurry over to Warehouse 23 today – this deal won't last long!
– 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!
– 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!
Steve Jackson's Blog
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