Steve Jackson's Blog, page 336

September 14, 2016: Dungeon Fantasy RPG: "I Want It All!" Is A Great Deal

Some of you may have heard us mention the Kickstarter campaign for the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game , once or twice, in passing.



We want to bring one specific pledge level to your attention; it's a bit down the page and you may have missed it. The "I Want It All!!" level is a $250 pledge. That's a lot, given that the game itself is $50. However, at that level, you get one of EVERYTHING: the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game , the Dungeon Fantasy GM Screen , a one-year subscription (or subscription extension) to Pyramid, a special Dungeon Fantasy -themed Pyramid compilation with articles taken from several different issues, and over two dozen Dungeon Fantasy PDFs, including PDFs of the Dungeon Fantasy print products and any PDFs unlocked as stretch goals are reached. That is, as of this writing, more than $480 in value for a $250 pledge . . . and if we add more add-ons later, they're also included!

LATE-BREAKING UPDATE!! Yesterday afternoon, we also added the PDF and print versions of Warren "Mook" Wilson and Sean "Kromm" Punch's indispensible How to Be a GURPS GM. Both of these are available as add-ons, but the $250 pledge includes both the PDF and the printed book, which means that now you're getting almost $520 worth of GURPS goodness for your pledge. Holy cats!

If your collection of Dungeon Fantasy PDFs has some holes in it, you might end up doing better with the "I Want It All!!" pledge rather than adding PDFs a la carte in Backerkit. It's worth running the numbers to find out. What better way to show that you want more Dungeon Fantasy content than by becoming an instant completist?



Oh, yeah: if you missed our announcement last week, we were able to substantially reduce our shipping costs to the UK and EU. If you're in Europe and decided not to pledge because of the high shipping costs, please take another look! Yes, we're looking to see if we can find similar deals for other parts of the world. Watch the Kickstarter updates for news as we make it!



– Andrew Hackard



Warehouse 23 News: Ruining A Life Has Never Been So Fun



Your hapless heroes can delve too deep, lose their loot, and plummet down pits, all while being backstabbed in the Munchkin style we know and love. It may sound tragic, but in Munchkin Gloom card game, that's a winning hand! Test how bad you can make it for your character by getting your copy on Warehouse 23 today!

September 13, 2016: Good Tidings About Grimm Art

Shelves in Walgreens stores across the land are stocked with Munchkin Grimm Tidings , so even though it was a secret during production, we can talk about it now all we want.



It's no surprise that John Kovalic, who did the Grimm Tidings art, wrote a blog post about the project. Head over to the Dork Tower to give it a read. You'll find out the struggle behind the Thousand-Pelt Coat, the children's literature reference on the Robbers card, and other fun facts.



Grimm's Fairy Tales are, after all, kind of a dream-theme for Munchkin – all that darkness and violence, thinly concealed behind a veneer of fantasy. Of course John was excited to bring that to life.



While you're over at the Dork Tower, you can donate to John's charity bike ride, Bike The Barns. The more money he raises, the more ridiculously he will dress for the ride. He's already going to wear a Duck of Doom on his head, and a tentacle. Maybe you can help make it even worse. 



– Ariel Barkhurst



Warehouse 23 News: The Best Of Intentions May Be Your Worst Nightmare



Imagine an age where myth is real and where superstitions hold true. The threats presented here reach far beyond your wildest imagination, and any one of them could lay waste to the whole of the world. Will you and your group of travelers be strong enough to prevent this end? See for yourself with Ars Magica: Dies Irae - A Book of Wrathful Days , a sourcebook for Ars Magica Fifth Edition . Available from Warehouse 23 now!

September 12, 2016: All Mixed Up? Good!

One of the strengths of the Munchkin games is that you can shuffle them all together and play a big "mashup" game. This is especially true for the various fantasy-themed decks, such as Munchkin Legends (and its Guest Artist Edition ), Munchkin Oz (and its Guest Artist Edition ), and the newest addition, Munchkin Grimm Tidings . For the benefit of people who have never tried blending a Munchkin smoothie*, here are some comments about how this would work.



First, because all three sets have the same card backs, you can very easily just shuffle them into a single big pile without worrying about advance knowledge of which sets have cards coming up in the stacks. (Mashing up games with different designs may make this more difficult, but you can use our Munchkin-themed card sleeves to obscure the backs, even then.) You may want to split the Door and Treasure decks in half and let people draw from either one (especially if someone has not put enough points into Dexterity), but that's easily enough done.



All three of the sets listed have classes, and by and large, different classes, so there's decent variety. Legends and Oz both have Wizards, and Legends and Grimm Tidings both have Thieves; if those duplications bug you, leave the extra Class cards out of the blended deck. Only Legends has races, which will make them a little more valuable when you come across them and will make the Curses and Bad Stuff that remove races that much nastier.



Of course, all the sets have fabulous monsters and horrid Treasures – or vice versa – so you shouldn't have any trouble where those are concerned.



We very highly recommend the Listening at the Door faster-play rule for mashup games. (It's on p. 6 of the Legends and Oz rules. It's not in the Grimm Tidings rules, but if you aren't mashing that game up, you don't need it.) That rule gets more cards into the game in the early stages and makes it more likely that even players who don't kill monsters and take their Treasures can stay competitive, by letting you get a free Treasure if you don't fight a monster on your turn.



In the end, of course, the reason you might want to try a mashup game is simple – it's fun! Getting to play a Super Tailor/Professor Elf Princess with loot from Oz, medieval fairy tales, and modern legends is close to the legal maximum amount of silliness allowed in a single game . . . and playing with the fantastic guest art from Mike Luckas ( Legends ) and Katie Cook ( Oz ) alongside John Kovalic's inspired Grimm Tidings art is quite possibly a violation of the laws of your city, nation, and physical universe. We recommend trying it today!



* We do not actually endorse making a Munchkin smoothie, especially if you are making it out of Munchkin cards. On the other hand, it can't taste any worse than kale.



– Andrew Hackard



Warehouse 23 News: A Most Excellent Phone Booth Experience!



Is there a better use for a time machine than preparing a history report for class? That question's totally rhetorical, but the fun is real in Bill & Ted's Excellent Boardgame . Get it today from Warehouse 23, and get ready to party on!

September 11, 2016: Crowdfunding Focus: Epic Dice Tower Defense

Do you like dice?



That's a stupid question. Sorry. You're a gamer; of course you like dice. Let me try again.



Do you like games where you roll a lot of dice? Different dice? Different KINDS of dice? What I'm asking is, do you REALLY like dice?



If so (and if not, seriously, what are you doing here?), take a look at the Epic Dice Tower Defense game currently on Kickstarter. If you're in the U.S., you can get a great dice game for $59, and for $89, you can get a six-player version complete with playmats for everyone AND prioritized shipping. Prices vary in other countries.



And hey, as long as we're talking about Kickstarters, don't forget that the Kickstarter for our very own GURPS -based  Dungeon Fantasy RPG is running right now. We'd love it if you would take a look!



– Andrew Hackard



Warehouse 23 News: Ante Up With A Little Munchkin Flair



Add some Munchkin whimsy to your group's poker or blackjack game with the Munchkin Playing Cards . It's 54 cards illustrated by fan-favorite Ian McGinty. Order yours from Warehouse 23 today!

September 10, 2016: Top Ten In Warehouse 23 For August

It's that time again! We have the numbers for August sales on Warehouse 23, so you can see what's hot. Due to the nature of Munchkin promos and GURPS PDFs (like GURPS Adaptations ), I have made them honorable mentions on the list. They were dominating the list each month, and I want to give our physical releases a chance to shine. But I also left the BOOM! Bundle on here to remind everyone to use your comic codes before they expire! 



Enough about that! Let's see the list:



Simon's Cat Card Game 


Moop's Monster Mashup


Munchkin Knights


Bill & Ted's Excellent Boardgame


(Boom Bundle) The Official Munchkin Bookmark of The Worst Cyclone Ever!


Munchkin #19


Munchkin Kittens


Ogre: Objective 218


Munchkin Puppies


Munchkin 6.5 – Terrible Tombs
As always, Warehouse 23 orders include an assortment of promos, as well. And of course, you can always get these items at your Friendly Local Game Store. However you get them, enjoy these recent releases!



– Hunter Shelburne



Warehouse 23 News: How Will You Gain Power?



A raised fist, a threatening letter, a few gold coins – all can be used to sway those who oppose you. With Revolution! , you'll rely on a myriad of methods to win support and control territory, while your foes do the same. Bid, bluff, and – hopefully – win! The game is afoot, and it awaits your order from Warehouse 23.

September 9, 2016: The Design Behind The Grimm

Despite the name of the game, these tidings are nothing but good: Munchkin Czar Andrew Hackard wrote some Designer's Notes on Munchkin Grimm Tidings !



Find out just what trials and tribulations he faced in bringing Grimm's Fairy Tales to Munchkin . For example, you'll learn why it's got fewer cards than your typical Munchkin core set, how the classes were chosen, and more. Also, fun fact: A runner-up for the name of the set was Munchkin Grimmdark . Ah, what might have been.



Meanwhile, the game itself is on shelves only at Walgreens stores. It's the first Munchkin game available there, so be sure to pick up a copy next time you're picking up your prescription or household essentials!



– Ariel Barkhurst



Warehouse 23 News: A Golden Letter Of Recommendation?



Risk, deduction, luck, treasure, and backstabbing – all together in one bag! Munchkin Loot Letter packs a whole bunch of fun in a 16-card game. Get it now, from Warehouse 23!

September 8, 2016: This Booster Could Be Your Munchkin Deck's Crowning Glory

The princesses are back, and they're wearing pretty new dresses!



By which we mean, the Munchkin Princesses booster is back in print, and it's in new packaging! Which isn't quite the same as a new dress, but what's a pretty pretty booster pack to do?



You can preorder the newly styled second run of this popular supplement on Warehouse 23 now. These 15 cards make any Munchkin game a royally good time, with monsters and treasure that any princess-fan will recognize.



For example, there's the Princess Class, which gets a "Self-Reliant" bonus for murdering monsters alone – you know, just like in all the fairy tales. There are also Glass Sneakers, a Genetically Modified Apple, and the Ugly Stepsister, to give a few more noble examples.



And since one of the class cards features a drawing of Spyke wearing a ball gown, with chest hair exposed by a low neckline, this booster is pretty much indispensable for any Munchkin fan.



So if you like fairy tales, making fun of fairy tales, chest hair, or wearing tiaras, this booster is for you! 



– Ariel Barkhurst



Warehouse 23 News: Space: More Dangerous Than Ever



Flying a spaceship is even more challenging when you're under attack! The Awful Green Things From Outer Space is the classic, wacky boardgame where one player commands the crew of the besieged Znutar, and the other side controls its icky invaders. Beam it aboard with an order today from Warehouse 23!

September 7, 2016: SJ Games Gen Con-tent

We were at PAX West this weekend, but there has been a lot of content around the web from our time at Gen Con 2016! Many new releases were covered, and we teased some upcoming games and accessories coming out later this year and into 2017. If you didn't have time to track it all down, here are some highlights.



Rhea and I had a chance to sit down with Brittanie Boe of GameWire to talk about Bill & Ted's Excellent Boardgame . Note some cool secret stuff in the background!


Bower's Game Corner gave us two different videos on  Simon's Cat Card Game  and  Batman: The Animated Series Dice Game , and Moop's Monster Mashup . (The guy puts out a ton of Gen Con coverage.)


John Booth of GeekDad wrote an awesome piece on his interview with CEO Phil Reed, Line Editor Andrew Hackard, and artist John Kovalic, talking about the 15th anniversary of Munchkin .


And of course there were lots of blogs, like Tribality, Techaeris, Bad Coyote Funky, Crossfire Co-op, and more, covering all sorts of games – including the upcoming Car Wars 6th Edition. 


Last but not least, the Purple Pawn got a sneak peek at some art for next year's Munchkin Collectible Card Game ! 
Whew, that's a lot of stuff. And more is on the way! Follow us on social media where we share content like this as soon as it's posted. Thanks to everyone who took the time to talk to us!



– Hunter Shelburne



Warehouse 23 News: How Do You Make Darker Even More Dark? Add Backstabbing!



Walgreens requested a fairytale wedding from Steve Jackson Games but I'm not sure they truly understood what they were in for! Munchkin Grimm Tidings takes all the cringe-worthy  tales of Grimm Tidings and adds a little...well, Munchkin to it! For a couple days now, we've been including bookmark for our newest title to all physical orders we can fit them in and we show no signs of stopping anytime soon. Come on by Warehouse 23 for your own copy of these new promos!

September 6, 2016: Wander Off The Path In Munchkin Grimm Tidings

Fairy tales are supposed to be happy and nice, right? WRONG. The original fairy tales taught naughty children to avoid talking sausages and keep a respectful distance from witches.



That's the fantastic realm explored in Munchkin Grimm Tidings . In this new set, illustrated by John Kovalic, you can play an all-new class like Hunter or Tailor, and Witch Slap your opponents. Or maybe use a Pocket Goat to confuse and infuriate monsters. Become the Eldest, Youngest, or even a Princess! And the Brothers Grimm know monsters. Rumpelstiltskin may be an old man, but he's a menace. Dame Gothel wants to keep you locked up, and Cannibal Moon is self-explanatory – it's a moon that eats people! How weird is that? 



With 114 cards, Grimm Tidings is a little smaller than a normal core game, making it perfect for introducing new players to the World of Munchkin, or for veterans to mix in with their other sets. This would fit perfectly alongside classic Munchkin , Munchkin Princesses , Munchkin Dragons , Munchkin Dragon's Trike , and  Munchkin Knights . 



You can find Munchkin Grimm Tidings exclusively at your local Walgreens today! 



– Hunter Shelburne



Warehouse 23 News: Something Special For GURPS Action!



The high-octane power of GURPS Action is craftier than ever, with GURPS Action 4: Specialists . Choose from over 100 areas of expertise to create just the hero you need for any number of impossible jobs. Don't delay; download it today – only from Warehouse 23!

September 5, 2016: How To Expand Your Game Of Munchkin Legends Guest Artist Edition

We know most of our blog readers play Munchkin , but you might still benefit from a few tips about how to expand our recently-released Munchkin Legends Guest Artist Edition .



There are several ways to pump up this Target-exclusive game:



Boosters! Our Munchkin booster packs are an inexpensive way to add a little bit of new fun to an existing game. Almost all of them are 100 percent compatible with Munchkin Legends Guest Artist Edition – as long as it doesn't have another Munchkin set in the title, you're good to go!



Expansions! There are two tuckbox expansions for Munchkin Legends , Faun and Games and Myth Prints , and you can add either or both of them to this set to bring in a new Class or Race and some new monsters and Treasures. Additionally, any expansion for original Munchkin , such as Unnatural Axe or Clerical Errors , will mix into Legends Guest Artist Edition with no problems at all. These expansions come with cards illustrated by the original Munchkin illustrator John Kovalic, and are available at your friendly local game store or from Warehouse 23. 



Combine full games! As we hinted a couple of times, Munchkin and Munchkin Legends Guest Artist Edition work very well if you want to shuffle the decks from both games together. You can also easily mix Legends into any set with the same backs ( Munchkin Conan , Munchkin Oz , and Munchkin Pathfinder ) or into any Munchkin game as long as you're comfortable knowing which cards are being drawn . . . or you have a lot of card sleeves.



– Andrew Hackard



Warehouse 23 News: A Double-Duty Munchkin Beauty!



Munchkin Marked for Death is a booster pack for Munchkin that includes 17 new cards . . . which can be used as a fixed demo to introduce someone to the world of Munchkin . It's big fun in a small package, and you can get it today from Warehouse 23!