Steve Jackson's Blog, page 329

November 24, 2016: Grab Boxes And Messenger Grab Bags Now In W23

Do you like your loot with a side of surprises? Then our Holiday Grab Boxes and Game-In-A-Bag deals on Warehouse 23 are just what you're looking for! Trust me, a side of surprise tastes better than a side of that canned cranberry sauce . . .



Holiday Grab Boxes come in two flavors – Mostly Munchkin , and Surprise Me! You may have guessed that the first option, clearly, contains mostly Munchkin merch, whereas the second has a variety of items from the SJ Games catalog. So pick your favored flavor!



But why buy random stuff? Because it's a steal! The Holiday Grab Boxes cost $40, and come with over $80 of loot! Plus, boxes of both varieties may contain an item signed by Steve Jackson! He's got a big stack of stuff signed and ready to insert into random boxes. Maybe you'll get lucky! Either way, you'll receive tons of value from the deal, and it's a great way to get gifts for friends and family.



For those of the more mobile variety, our Game-In-A-Bag promotion is also happening now! When you purchase a Munchkin Messenger Bag on Warehouse 23, we'll throw in a random Munchkin game, expansion, and accessory, plus extra swag. You buy the bag, and we fill it up for you! Show off your Munchkin fandom, and carry your games in style. Or carry books in it, if you're boring. Either way, it's a great deal!



Both of these promotions are happening now on Warehouse 23, and end on December 15. Make sure to get them soon, before time runs out!



– Hunter Shelburne



Warehouse 23 News: Your Cards Need Some Protecting!



Your enemies will shudder in fear when you reveal that your deck is protected by sleeves decorated with the classic image of Spyke and his Chainsaw of Bloody Dismemberment or Flower with her Unnatural Axe! With the newest additions to our card-sleeve collection, Munchkin Standard Card Sleeves: Spyke and Munchkin Standard Card Sleeves: Flower , you can protect your cards with some Munchkin flair! Order yours from Warehouse 23 now!

November 23, 2016: Batman: The Animated Series Dice Game At Hot Topic

Batman: The Animated Series Dice Game comes out of the shadows this week, straight to your retailers, and the World's Greatest Detective is making a special appearance at a new venue for SJ Games: Hot Topic. We're excited to join one of the biggest pop-culture shops around, and we believe  Batman: The Animated Series Dice Game will fit in nicely among the Joker apparel. Feels a lot like Gotham City. 



Here are the Hot Topic stores carrying the game; find one near you! 



 



Flagstaff Mall & The Marketplace, Flagstaff, AZ


Arizona Mills, Tempe, AZ


Burbank Town Center, Burbank, CA


Chico Mall, Chico, CA


Sunrise Mall, Citrus Heights, CA


Glendale Galleria, Glendale, CA


Hanford Mall, Hanford, CA


Hemet Valley Mall, Hemet, CA


Lakewood Center, Lakewood, CA


The Shops at Tanforan, San Bruno, CA


West Valley Mall, Tracy, CA


Southlands Town Center, Aurora, CO


University Mall, Tampa, FL


North Point Mall, Alpharetta, GA


Valdosta Mall, Valdosta, GA


Boise Towne Square, Boise, ID


Glenbrook Square, Fort Wayne, IN


Circle Centre Mall, Indianapolis, IN


Markland Mall, Kokomo, IN


Towne East Square, Wichita, KS


Auburn Mall, Auburn, MA


Cape Cod Mall, Hyannis, MA


Columbia Mall, Columbia, MD


Great Lakes Crossing Outlets, Auburn Hills, MI


Lansing Mall, Lansing, MI


Genesee Valley Center, Flint Township, MI


Independence Center, Independence, MO


Asheville Mall, Asheville, NC


Hanes Mall, Winston, NC


Oak View Mall, Omaha, NE


Animas Valley Mall, Farmington, NM


Quaker Bridge Mall, Lawrenceville, NJ


The Boulevard Mall, Las Vegas, NV


Salem Center, Salem, OR


Neshaminy Mall, Bensalem, PA


Oxford Valley Mall, Langhorne, PA


Willow Grove Park, Willowgrove, PA


Haywood Mall, Greenville, SC


Mall of Abilene, Abilene, TX


Sunland Park Mall, El Paso, TX


Mall Del Norte, Laredo, TX


South Plains Mall, Lubbock, TX


Newgate Mall, Ogden, UT


MacArthur Center, Norfolk, VA


Westfield Capital, Olympia, WA


Kitsap Mall, Silverdale, WA


Oakwood Mall, Eau Claire, WI


Wausau Center, Wausau, WI


Huntington Mall, Barboursville, WV
– Hunter Shelburne



Warehouse 23 News: It's The Batman!



Based on the award-winning TV show, Batman: The Animated Series Dice Game lets you become a supervillain in a press-your-luck game for the whole family. Scheme your way to victory with your chosen supervillain's special abilities. Just make sure to complete your heist before Batman arrives! Get your copy from Warehouse 23 today!

November 22, 2016: Recognizing The Munchkin Collectible Card Game Team

Developing the Munchkin Collectible Card Game has been an eye-opening experience. I'm not going to get into how the sausage is made in this post, but I do want to recognize the people who have put so much hard work into this project.



Eric Lang and Kevin Wilson, over the course of more than a year and a half, have crafted an incredibly fun game unlike anything I've played before. Working with them has been a fun and enlightening process.



We have had the good luck to work with several artists and colorists who have made this game look phenomenal. I plan to do another post highlighting each of them individually, but for now, I'd like to thank (in no particular order) John Kovalic, Katie Cook, Ian McGinty, Mike Lucas, Lar DeSouza, Tom Siddell, Shane White, Stephanie Chan, Fred Stresing, Meg Casey, and Lee Simpson.



I haven't been alone in the development of the game here on the SJ Games side, either – it's simply too big for one person. Darryll Silva helped me make the cards funny for CCG fans and often found the "whoa, too far" line by leaping across it. Balancing a collectible card game is no easy task, but Darryll, along with an awful lot of playtesters, helped make it happen.



Shelli Galey has done the work of hundreds – or at least a couple of people – wrangling our very talented artists and amazing colorists. This is an unfortunately short thanks for what has been a huge part of this process.



Sabrina Gonzales has been in a knock-down drag-out fight with the layout of the cards for so long now that we're not sure who is winning. But the cards look great and she's responsible.



Sam Mitschke was a late addition to the team but has, through sheer force of will, gotten this tanker of a project back on the right path. Thanks to him, we are on track to finish this first set and start working on expansions!



Andrew Hackard has always been ready with advice, a punny card title, or at least a very meaningful shrug.



Phil Reed is the one who made this entire thing happen in the first place. Once this game launches and you all realize how much lighter your wallets are, blame this guy.



Of course, I can't leave out Steve Jackson. His advice has helped shape this into the exciting and fun game that it is today.



We're still tweaking the first set, but we do see light at the end of the tunnel. That light is the oncoming freight train that is the next set . . . but after everything we've been through and learned this time, we'll be ready for it.



– Devin Lewis



Warehouse 23 News: Get All The Loot . . . FAST!



Have you ever wanted to introduce someone to Munchkin but didn't have time for a full-length game? Munchkin Loot Letter is the answer! With this two- to four-person version, you can quickly teach your friends and loved ones the basic mechanics of Munchkin with less fuss and a lot fewer cards! It comes packaged in two ways: boxed or in a plastic clamshell with a velvety soft bag to hold everything. Get your copy from Warehouse 23 today!

November 21, 2016: Give The Gift Of Guest Artist Editions

We're closing in on the end of 2016, and it's been a whirlwind year for our Munchkin Guest Artist Edition line. To celebrate Munchkin's 15th anniversary, we've released a whopping 10 limitededition games, with a few more on the way. That means our Guest Artist Edition series offers something new for fans of any theme. And what better time to introduce someone to Munchkin than the holidays! 



Having everyone home for Thanksgiving is the perfect time to get potential victims – I mean friends and family – to play a game! The Guest Artist Edition line is a great start, because we have a theme to match whatever they're into. For horror and monster fans, there's Munchkin Zombies Guest Artist Edition and Munchkin Cthulhu Guest Artist Edition . You're playing as zombies and cultists, but you are heroes! Maybe monsters are just misunderstood? Or perhaps it just feels good to be bad?



If you have a fan of action and sci-fi in your life, maybe Munchkin Fu Guest Artist Edition , Munchkin Apocalypse Guest Artist Edition , or Star Munchkin Guest Artist Edition is more up their alley. Martial-arts, laser-battling, disaster-dodging, B-movie antics are on tap for these high-flying games.



And for a hilarious new twist on the classics, check out Munchkin Oz Guest Artist Edition and Munchkin Legends Guest Artist Edition . Classic myths, legends, and storybook heroes throw down for loot. Fortunately, there are no bonus points for canon, so go ahead and play the Tin Woodsman and a Hero Sandwich together. We won't mind.



No matter who's around your table this holiday season, the Guest Artist Edition line is sure to please. You can find many of these titles at your friendly local game store today! But remember, they're limited editions that won't be available forever. Check these off your gift list soon! 



– Hunter Shelburne



Warehouse 23 News: Get All The Loot . . . FAST!



Have you ever wanted to introduce someone to Munchkin but didn't have time for a full-length game? Munchkin Loot Letter is the answer! With this two- to four-person version, you can quickly teach your friends and loved ones the basic mechanics of Munchkin with less fuss and a lot fewer cards! It comes packaged in two ways: boxed or in a plastic clamshell with a velvety soft bag to hold everything. Get your copy from Warehouse 23 today!

November 20, 2016: Crowdfunding Focus: Wizards Of The Tabletop

Before I worked in the boardgame industry, games were a big part of my life. But despite being an avid gamer, I couldn't put a face to even my favorite designers. That's just not fair! These creators provided hours of enjoyment. I mean, I know what Steven Spielberg looks like, and I know what Neil Gaiman looks like, so why were these tabletop designers so enigmatic?



Well, times have changed. With thousands of games releasing a year, tabletop and boardgame designers have become minor celebrities in our geeky circles. Today's Crowdfunding Focus isn't a game, but a book that canonizes members of the boardgame community in picture. Wizards of the Tabletop , by Douglas Morse, is a collage of these creators, including our very own Steve Jackson. It captures moments in time and, more important, gives a face to the legion of awesome people we share our hobby with. (Douglas Morse also helped create The Next Great American Game, a documentary that Steve also played a part in.)



The campaign ends in about three weeks, so back Wizards of Tabletop soon, to get a candid look at some amazingly cool people in our hobby. 



– Hunter Shelburne



Warehouse 23 News: Get All The Loot . . . FAST!



Have you ever wanted to introduce someone to Munchkin but didn't have time for a full-length game? Munchkin Loot Letter is the answer! With this two- to four-person version, you can quickly teach your friends and loved ones the basic mechanics of Munchkin with less fuss and a lot fewer cards! It comes packaged in two ways: boxed or in a plastic clamshell with a velvety soft bag to hold everything. Get your copy from Warehouse 23 today!

November 19, 2016: Munchkin Musings: November 2016

It can't be November already; why, it seems like just a week or two ago, it was Halloween! . . . Oh.



November at Munchkin HQ is often crunch time, and this year is no different. We're working further ahead than usual, but that is no reason to rest on our achievements – the more we get done in 2016, the better situated we are to start 2017 on the right foot. This is especially critical because Chinese New Year is particularly early in 2017, so we have a very short window to work with our printers before they close for several weeks.



Of course, as every year, we've had a couple of last-minute opportunities arise, so it's good that we're so far ahead of the schedule . . . it makes our crunch time a little less, um, crunchy. (No, we can't talk about them yet, but we'll certainly holler when the time is right!)



This November is busy for me, personally, as well; I'm out of town for more than half the month, going to California for work meetings and a close friend's wedding and then heading straight to Dallas for BGGcon. I expect that there will be a lot of late-night hotel-room work this month so I can hit my deadlines and stay on top of things back in Austin. I get back just in time for the long Thanksgiving weekend, and then it's only three weeks before we close for the winter break.



We have lots of cool stuff still to announce this year; keep watching the Daily Illuminator and Munchkin News, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook, for the latest rumors and scuttlebutt from SJ Games and Munchkin HQ. If you'll be at BGG, we'll see you there; otherwise, I'll be back in December for a 2016 wrap-up edition of Munchkin Musings!



– Andrew Hackard



Warehouse 23 News: Stocking Stuffers For Your Favorite Munchkin!



Look no further for that perfect present! We have a huge variety of games in small packages. Check out Warehouse 23's extensive selection of giftable goodies sized just right to fit into that stocking or small package. From all of us here at Steve Jackson Games: Happy Holidays!

November 18, 2016: #PlayMunchkin At Your Local Store This Saturday!

The best thing about the holidays is getting together with friends and family, and playing games. And beating them at games. And taking the loot. What I'm saying is, the best thing about the holidays is Munchkin !



To celebrate our favorite time of year, we've stocked nearly 200 game stores with our #PlayMunchkin Holiday Retailer Event kit, including unique swag like promo cards and bookmarks. What better way to celebrate the season than hanging out with friends and other fans at your friendly local game store, playing some Munchkin , and getting free loot? Check out our list of participating retailers, and swing by to play tomorrow – Saturday, November 19. 



While you're there, check out the newest releases from our Holiday Vault. Munchkin Christmas Lite , Holiday Surprise , Yule Log , and the  Jolly Jumbo D6  just came out of the vault, but only through the end of the year! Get your stocking stuffers now! 



Don't forget to share pictures from your local event with the hashtag #PlayMunchkin on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram! Not only will we share them, you'll be entered to win Munchkin prizes the following Monday. #PlayMunchkin is the gift that keeps on giving!



We'll see you tomorrow, November 19, at the #PlayMunchkin Holiday Event!



– Hunter Shelburne



Warehouse 23 News: Make Your Yuletide Slay!



Check out the newest edition to our coloring-book family, the 12 Days of Munchkin Christmas Coloring Book ! With 28 pages of fighting and slaying monsters, it's sure to please even the smallest  Munchkin  fans! See what Spyke gets into in this adventure by buying your very own copy from Warehouse 23 today!

November 17, 2016: Play Ogre Sixth Edition At BGG.Con!

We're on the road this week, but not too far from home. The SJ Games crew has set up shop at BGG.Con in Dallas, TX, November 16-20.



Among the other amazing new and upcoming releases we're showing (like early copies of Batman: The Animated Series Dice Game , Super Munchkin Guest Artist Edition , and Munchkin Apocalypse: Judge Dredd , to name a few), we'll have Ogre Sixth Edition , front and center. Coming this winter, Ogre Sixth Edition gives the classic game a makeover, with Ogre Designer's Edition style components. New variant colors for the Ogres, Command Posts, and units, as well as pearl-white Ogre dice, make Ogre Sixth Edition unique aesthetically, but not required for someone who owns Designer's Edition . It is, however, a great entry point for someone who has never played Ogre , or wants a fast, futuristic wargame with awesome components.



Find out more about the similarities and differences between the two games straight from our Ogre Line Editor, Drew Metzger. For a look inside the box, check out our Ogre Sixth Edition  unboxing over on YouTube.



So come by our booth for a demo of the metal-mashing combat of the future! And if you are already a die-hard Ogre fan, check out our Ogre Miniatures Set 1 Kickstarter, running until November 30. If you think the cardboard miniatures are awesome, wait until you see them in plastic! It's an upgrade worthy of the year 2085 A.D.



– Hunter Shelburne



 



Warehouse 23 News: Make Your Yuletide Slay!



Check out the newest edition to our coloring-book family, the 12 Days of Munchkin Christmas Coloring Book ! With 28 pages of fighting and slaying monsters, it's sure to please even the smallest  Munchkin  fans! See what Spyke gets into in this adventure by buying your very own copy from Warehouse 23 today!

November 16, 2016: Ogre Miniatures Set 1 Rolling Along

The  Ogre Miniatures Set 1  Kickstarter started with a rumble and has grown to a roaring thunder, knocking down stretch goals like they were hapless defenders! Thanks to all the backers, this affordable set of miniatures has become quite a steal, adding an extra GEV, Heavy Tank, and Missile Tank, with more defenders on the horizon. Backers will also receive a free, physical copy of our Ogre Miniatures Lite ruleset, which makes Ogre Miniatures Set 1 a complete game, if you provide a tape measure and dice (and dice are an add-on – just saying). If all those extra units and rules aren't enough, our upcoming goals will let players add an entirely new faction! So many plastic units, and there's still more for us to reveal. 



We've also heard our backers' requests, and have added a new tier for those looking to "have it all." The Ogre Veteran tier is available to US backers, and includes three sets of minis (one in reverse colors), one copy each of Ogre Sixth Edition and Ogre Reinforcements , as well as the Ogre posters – all in a neat, $150 package. As a bonus, backers at this level will have their  Ogre Sixth Edition and Ogre Reinforcements  sets shipped as soon as they release, rather than as a package with the miniatures. It's a convenience we're excited to offer our dedicated Ogre commanders! 



So if you haven't already, head over to Kickstarter and consider backing Ogre Miniatures Set 1  before the campaign closes November 30. The more stretch goals we can unlock, the better. You know the defenders need all the help they can get . . .



– Hunter Shelburne



Warehouse 23 News: The Magnificent Moop Is Mashing Up Monsters



First the Kangarooster, then the Drizzly Bear . . . when will it end?! In Moop's Monster Mashup , you're down in his dungeon, fighting those monsters and taking their stuff. Believe me, the Treasures are just as weird as the monsters! Get your copy from Warehouse 23 now, and see how you stack up against these beasts!

November 15, 2016: Car Wars Sixth Edition Delayed

Earlier this year, we announced that we were delaying the release of Car Wars Sixth Edition until 2017. Our plans at that time were to launch a Kickstarter project this month for the Car Wars Anthology, and a Kickstarter project for the new game in January.
 
Unfortunately, those plans have changed, too. At this time, it is better if we hold off on both of these Kickstarter projects and continue to focus on developing the core game and constructing the expansions.
 
We have now taken the Car Wars game to two separate retailer events. While the feedback from retailers has been overwhelmingly positive, the game is still taking more time to play than we like – four-player games are running roughly 90 to 120 minutes. So we want to dig into the core of the game to cut that down to about 60 minutes. 
 
We have ideas on how to streamline playing time, but each concept requires time to explore, and once we select a solution, we will have to hammer out the details of the decision – that is, playtest! – from every angle. 
 
We believe this is the right answer, even if it means pushing back the launch of the Kickstarter projects – and the game – four to six months. Not having Car Wars for Gen Con 2017 will be painful, yes, to both our bottom line and pride. But it would be more painful to proceed with the game at the current average playing time. It's better to take the short-term hit to sales and pride than to be stuck with a game length that is twice our goal.
 
We will have much more to say as we reach each specific milestone.



– Phil Reed



Warehouse 23 News: Great News, Munchkin Marvel Fans!



In Munchkin Marvel 3: Cosmic Chaos , the latest expansion for Munchkin Marvel , team up with Star-Lord and The Guardians of the Galaxy to take down some of the heaviest hitters in the Marvel universe! Get your copy from Warehouse 23, and find out what it takes to beat Thanos today!