Steve Jackson's Blog, page 355

March 10, 2016: Munchkin Guest Artist Edition in Meeple Monthly

Spyke's mug is sneaking into more and more publications; this time in Meeple Monthly! CEO Phil Reed wrote an article about a few of the upcoming Munchkin Guest Artist Edition games, like Munchkin Fu Guest Artist Edition and Munchkin Cthulhu Guest Artist Edition ! In addition to the Phil's wordsmithing, there are a few sneak preview card images to tide you over until they come out. The article also spills the beans on the Munchkin Monster Box , the upcoming storage solution for this avalanche of new Munchkin goodness!



Pick up the new issue at your Friendly Local Game Store today! 



– Hunter Shelburne



Warehouse 23 News: Meet Mythic Europe's Most Infuriating Creatures!



Inspired by tales out of Brittany, Ars Magica: Faerie Stories tells you all you need to know about that most pesky of magical creatures, the faerie. Use this collection of stories and adventure ideas to further your game. Available in print or PDF from Warehouse 23.

March 9, 2016: The Beginning Of The End

When it feels like you've run every campaign in the world, the best way to shake things up is to break the world and start over! At least, that was my philosophy behind the new GURPS After the End series. Rather than looking back to the past, it embraces the new world as a place of adventure, danger, and reward. GURPS After the End 1: Wastelanders kicks things off with a mix of templates and lenses to create almost any post-apocalyptic hero you can imagine. Do you want to play a mutated scavenger who can sneak up on any foe? What about an experienced doc trained to analyze the mind as well as the body? Or a learned hunter who uses old-world knowledge to stay ahead of new-world foes? No matter what you choose, just make a few simple decisions and you're ready to play.



And that's just the first half! The rest of it answers questions like "How can I simplify the rules for fatigue, starvation, and sleep?" and "How do I trade for equipment when currency doesn't exist?" I've been using these rules in my own post-apocalyptic games for a while now and I'm privileged to be able to share them with you all. Enjoy this, and look for GURPS After the End 2: The New World in the not-too-distant future!



– Jason "PK" Levine



Warehouse 23 News: Ghastly, Ghoulish GURPS Goodness!



A treatise of terror is open before you; dare you take the plunge? With GURPS Horror , acclaimed author Kenneth Hite takes you on a tour of all things dreadful, with horrific tropes, chilling GURPS monsters, new rules and guidelines for ramping up the scares, and much more. Buy it as a hardcover or a PDF download today from the friendly folks at Warehouse 23!

March 8, 2016: The Munchkin Book Gets Reviewed!

The Munchkin Book from BenBella Books has been recently released, and readers are talking! People are getting a kick out the classic Munchkin humor, combined with essays ranging from game design to family and beyond.



Fanboy Comics talked about the familial aspects of some of the essays. As a parent himself, a lot of the articles concerning gaming with children stuck out to him. Some of the excerpts even influenced his play style elsewhere, like GMing other role playing games.


Our friends over at Geek Dad gave a wonderful breakdown of the different aspects of the book, from the self-described "inside baseball" articles about making Munchkin , to the general humor and life advice pieces by our amazing contributors.


And Online Eccentric Librarian enjoyed the excessive puns, and felt The Munchkin Book evoked a similar humor to the game.
Thanks to all of the reviewers for their kind words! The Munchkin Book is a labor of love for the writers and editors. To find that so many essays, running the gamut of gaming topics, are hitting home with readers is incredible! You can find The Munchkin Book at your local bookseller, or through Amazon if you don't have a store nearby.



– Hunter Shelburne



Warehouse 23 News: Get Your Own Piece Of Cthulhu!



Bring some Cthulhu into your life with our posable green and purple Plush Tentacles! These soft and furry appendages can be posed and shaped any way you want. Hang them in your office to scare off those of lesser constitution! Available exclusively from Warehouse 23.

March 7, 2016: Star Munchkin Guest Artist Edition In Stores Now!

As an astronaut returns to earth, our own star-man Len Peralta has finally landed on store shelves with Star Munchkin Guest Artist Edition ! It's the second game of our Guest Artist Edition series, and has already received a stellar response. Presale stock sold out at PAX South in a mind blowing 24 hours! Len's new art gives all the visual jokes of the original Star Munchkin a clever twist, with his own comic styling. We've worked with Len in the past, and we are very excited about his upcoming work, including Bill and Ted's Excellent Boardgame ! He's got some speed drawings of his work on that cover, as well as some Star Munchkin Guest Artist Edition art; check him out in action!



Resupply at your FLGS, or visit Warehouse 23 for a copy. It's a limited edition, so if you wait too long, it may be back in orbit!



– Hunter Shelburne



Warehouse 23 News: It's A Great Time To Go Dungeon Crawling!



If you haven't checked out the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game , now is a great time! The PDF of the fourth printing has just been uploaded, with loads of new art, a new mini-adventure, and a new collection of reference pages to make play easier.



And if you have bought the download already from Warehouse 23, the new version is available to download in your account. (Isn't technology great?!)

March 6, 2016: A Charity Event Like No Other . . . Board Game Style!

I was scrolling through Reddit the other day when I came across the most interesting thread I'd seen in a very long time. Dambedani, a woman who manages a game store in Maryland, offered to give away board games to anyone who messaged her with no want of reward! After reading through the thread, I found that this was a legitimate promise and signed up for Diamonsters, which I've been eyeballing for months but school and my newborn have kept me from actually purchasing.



It was only when I mentioned this giveaway to a coworker that I noticed how much she was putting into this. These games aren't from the same publishers or anything that might have given her a drastically reduced rate. To send out thousands of games, even at distribution prices, is no cheap feat. I wonder how she paid for this, and after a little digging I figured out her secret. Love, modesty, and honest compassion.



In a follow-up thread, she is keeping everyone up to date on how the shipping is going. That's where I found this beautifully simple nugget that is Danielle's story.



"Five years ago, my husband and I were homeless. We were both in the Army, left from Korea to the states and had nothing. We were in debt, panicked, and . . . killed ourselves to get where we are now. We both had worked two jobs, we'd go days without seeing one another, but we finally had the means to . . .not have to decide "Should we pay for food, or for gas?" I know first hand how much it sucks not to be able to afford simple things, in this case, board games. At the end of the week, you want to buy something for yourself because you worked so hard and deserved it. But you can't. Because other things are much more important. So you sacrifice your happiness. Again. I just want to provide a little nice gesture for people who deserve it. And everyone deserves it because everyone, no matter what their past is, their financial situation, their future will be, deserves a little happiness. No matter what."



With a tear in my eye, I couldn't help but be humbled by the sincerity in which she really does just want to help people. Well, I'll be doing what I can to pay it forward in my own ways. One of those ways is getting her story out there for those who need just a little bit of encouragement to pick themselves up. After this, I can safely say, I do want to live on this planet.



Danielle and her husband manage game stores in Maryland. Each is in charge of their own Marbles: The Brain Store, National Harbor and Bethesda locations respectively. If you want to show your admiration for her kindness and charity; she accepts lunch for her employees in the form of pizza, beer for her husband, siamese cat artwork to her reddit mailbox, and donations to your local children's cancer wards.



For anyone interested in the final results of her giveaway, she posted one final update. For those who didn't see this in time or who were left out, she added ". . . there will be another chance!"



– Joshua Surfus



Warehouse 23 News: Can't Get Enough Of Those Tasty Brains!



Get your fellow zombies together, and see who can get the most brains in Zombie Dice ! Push your luck, and see how much cerebral matter you can get, but watch out for those shotguns! Comes with 13 custom dice that two or more zombies can use to play. Available from your FLGS or Warehouse 23.

March 5, 2016: Upcoming MIB Events

Our volunteer MIBs are constantly pounding the pavement to bring the best demos to the people! They frequently run events at Friendly Local Game Stores and conventions, showing off all of our most popular games. Here are a few upcoming events at which MIBs are organizers or volunteers:



MACE West - Asheville, NC, March 18th-20th; No Ordinary Gamers will be hosting multiple tables of games throughout the con.


Hanadoki Con - San Diego, CA, March 18th-20th; Munchkin tournament on Saturday.


7th Dimension Games - Jenkintown, PA, March 19th; Munchkin Tournament!


Leander Library Comic-Con - Leander, TX, April 2; various Steve Jackson Games demos.


Kawaii Kon - Honolulu, HI, April 8th-10th; multiple games throughout the con, including Munchkin , Revolution , Zombie Dice , Knightmare Chess , and more.


Cangames - Ottawa, Ontario, May 20th-22nd; Munchkin games at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday.
Stop by, say hi, and play some games with our great crew! If you're a fan of Steve Jackson Games and interested in volunteering, apply here. We are always looking for dedicated individuals for our secret ops . . . I mean, demo team!



– Hunter Shelburne



Warehouse 23 News: Enter A World Of Myth And Fantasy!



The Ars Magica 5th Edition Core Rulebook takes you to a place where myth and superstition are real! Faeries, angels, and wizards are just some of the magical creatures you will encounter. Join a covenant to unlock secret powers and mysteries, or create your own and take it where you will. Available in print or PDF from Warehouse 23.

March 4, 2016: Tabletop Adventures Sale For GM's Day!

Happy GM's Day! This is a day to let those lords of the table know how much you appreciate them. Sure, maybe they're technically the reason why your characters die, but they're also the storytellers, world creators, and generals of your tabletop group. To celebrate this momentous occassion, Tabletop Adventures is holding a sale on Warehouse 23!

You can get a smorgasbord of tabletop goodness, all for 30% off right now! The sale ends on March 9th, so gather your party, and surprise your GM with a treasure trove of resources!



– Hunter Shelburne



Warehouse 23 News: Can You Retain Our Sanity?



Holding onto our sanity will be hard to do when you're wearing the Munchkin Cthluhu Guest Artist T-Shirt! Katie Cook takes the horror from the depths and makes him super cute! Show your love for Cthulhu and get a special rule for Munchkin games with this special shirt, available exclusively from Warehouse 23.

March 3, 2016: New Preorders On Warehouse 23: Puppies And Spring Break!

Winter isn't officially over yet, but we have a couple of preorders available now to help get you ready for Spring!



Chez Geek Spring Break



Sun's out, guns out . . . guts out? Jump back into Spring with the slackers of Chez Geek , and take a road trip to the exotic locations like the Baja, while avoiding the perils of the Unexpected Blizzard. New, oversized event cards add rule changing effects! Nothing says Spring Break like a vacation, especially one with the Chez Geek crew.





Munchkin Puppies



Now that the weather is warming up, it's the perfect time of year for walking a dog! And if you like dogs, you love puppies. And hey, if you don't like puppies, what kind of a monster are you? Katie Cook's art is absurdly adorable, but don't let their cuteness fool you, these puppies have a bite!





You can preorder these games in time for Spring, from your Friendly Local Game Store, or from Warehouse 23, today!



– Hunter Shelburne



Warehouse 23 News: Tomorrow's Cities, Today!



Liven up the world of tomorrow with Transhuman Space: Cities on the Edge , a meaty guide to how towns and metropolises of Transhuman Space work and thrive in the future. Use space-age technology to download it today, only from Warehouse 23!

March 2, 2016: Get Ready For The End Times With GURPS!

From the ashes of the old, forge a daring new world! GURPS is great for post-apocalyptic gaming, and Pyramid #3/88: The End is Nigh – the most recent issue of Pyramid – amps up your wasteland warriors with more options, opportunities, and opposition. It features a fascinating yet frightening gang from Jason "PK" Levine that would be a powerful ally or enemy, with GURPS stats for typical members, maps of their lair and the surrounding area, a player handout, and more.



This issue also showcases David L. Pulver's look at using GURPS Mass Combat after the end times, including two sample armies that can challenge or aid hardscrabble heroes; S.A. Fisher's and Hans-Christian Vortisch's look at how to make and maintain firearms once civilization has fallen; Peter V. Dell'Orto's expanded examination of improvised weapons in GURPS ; a guide to what happens to nuclear weapons and power plants once the world ends; and still other awesomeness. For those searching amid the ashes for signs and portents, this issue also provides clues about the forthcoming GURPS After the End series.



With Pyramid #3/88: The End Is Nigh, it's never been a better time to begin thinking about the end times! Pick it up individually, or subscribe to Pyramid today and keep your fallout shelter stocked with gaming goodness for months to come!



– Steven Marsh



Warehouse 23 News: Make Your GURPS Games More Magical!



With GURPS Thaumatology , you can alter the magic in GURPS in a myriad of ways, from minor tweaks to radical overhauls. Download it today, only from Warehouse 23!

March 1, 2016: Munchkin Steampunk for The Golden Geek Awards

Every year, our friends at BoardGameGeek.com hold the Golden Geek Awards, a prestigious prize given in multiple categories, similar to the Oscars, but for board games. The nominations for this year's awards are open, and we are hoping to nominate Munchkin Steampunk Deluxe ! But to do this, we need your help.



You can visit the Golden Geek nomination page, select Munchkin Steampunk Deluxe , and select the categories you would like to see it win. We're personally nominating it in the categories of Board Game of the Year, Artwork and Presentation, and Card Game, but you can select whatever you feel is appropriate. All you need to do is follow sign up on the site (which we recommend anyway – BoardGameGeek.com is a great resource for game rules, pictures, reviews, and tracking your game collection). The link provided selects the game and categories for you, or you can make your own choices like this:

Thanks for helping us celebrate the amazing art of Phil Foglio, and the awesome team behind Munchkin Steampunk Deluxe, and many of our other Munchkin games. Hopefully we can bring these folks the recognition they deserve!



– Hunter Shelburne



Warehouse 23 News: We're Going To Need A Bigger Ball Of Yarn . . .



When you're looking for a supplement on the Egyptian cat-goddess, don't settle for good; you want the Bast! With Bast, über-author Kenneth Hite shows you how to use this deity in Trail of Cthulhu, 13th Age, Ashen Stars, and more. Download it from Warehouse 23 today individually, or get it as part of the Ken Writes About Stuff #3 collection!