Steve Jackson's Blog, page 361

January 9, 2016: Munchkin And MIBs In Geek Culture!

Steve Jackson Games has garnered a mention in the book Geek Culture by Kate Norlander (@KateNorlander)! The book focuses on CONvergence, a Minnesota sci-fi and fantasy convention, and celebrates a variety of geek cultures, including gaming. Our very own MIB volunteers and Munchkin are mentioned in the final chapter, something we're always proud to see!



If you're interested in checking out Geek Culture, you can get it at Amazon or CreateSpace.'



 



– Hunter Shelburne



 



Warehouse 23 News: Shake The Foundations Of Your GURPS Game



With GURPS Power-Ups 5: Impulse Buys , your heroes can snatch success from the jaws of defeat, influence their environment, cheat death, and do the impossible. A new style of cinematic gaming is just a download away, from Warehouse 23.

January 8, 2016: Preorder Munchkin Guest Artist Edition Now!

Munchkin Guest Artist Edition

The day has finally arrived! Our first Munchkin Guest Artist Edition is now available for preorder on Warehouse 23 and at game stores nationwide!



The first of our limited edition  Munchkin series features Ian McGinty, artist for  BOOM! Studios'  


Awesome, right?! Ian did an amazing job and we couldn't be happier. We've also featured some of Ian's sketches in previous Daily Illuminator posts. 



Munchkin Guest Artist Edition is available for preorder now at Warehouse 23 and your Friendly Local Game Store!



– Hunter Shelburne



Warehouse 23 News: Get Down That Road!



The Land of Oz is filled with monsters, witches and treasures, oh MY! But don't worry, we've got you covered with the Munchkin Oz T-Shirt . It even comes with a special rule for Munchkin games! Available exclusively from Warehouse 23.

January 7, 2016: We're Hiring Again!

We at Steve Jackson Games are looking for creative, multi-talented, competent persons to fill our Webmaster, Marketing Designer, and Copywriter positions. Think about it: this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work for a great company in a growing industry, with a fun environment and friendly coworkers. Did we mention great benefits and paid leave for full-time employees?



As Webmaster, you will be in charge of maintaining all SJ Games websites, creating new web content (including graphic design), and keeping up with the latest developments in the field.



As Marketing Designer, you will use InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator to create marketing materials and web ads, as well as prepping images for use on web pages, videos and slide presentations.



As Copywriter, you will be responsible for writing articles and advertisements in the company voice. We prefer candidates with experience or education in Journalism, Advertising/Public Relations, or Mass Communication.



Video production or professional photography experience is a plus for any of these positions.



Check out the job descriptions to see if you've got the chops to join our team.



– Andreas Stein



Warehouse 23 News: Fight Like An Animal, With GURPS



Hand-to-hand combat is fun in GURPS . . . in fact, sometimes it's fantastic! GURPS Martial Arts: Yrth Fighting Styles covers a myriad of otherworldly styles, perfect for the world of GURPS Banestorm or any other fantasy settings. Discover dwarven and elven techniques, learn how animals fight, and much more. It's a download away, only from Warehouse 23!

January 6, 2016: Say Hello To Hunter Shelburne - Community Manager!

Hi everyone! Apparently introductions are in order: my name is Hunter and I'm the new Community Manager! That means I'm the eyes and ears . . . and pretty face for Steve Jackson Games that you fine folks get to tweet, post and talk to on a regular basis. I represent YOU! Yes, you! You know who you are!



As a hobby I run Weaponsgrade Tabletop, my own YouTube channel for board and miniature gaming. I also frequent social media under my @WGTabletop pseudonym. I'm what you could call a jack-of-all-trades geek. I own far too many board, mini and tabletop games, and I love Star Wars, Lego, GI Joe, Transformers, movies, and comics, among other things. You name it, I'm probably a fan of it!



So when you see an SJ Games Youtube video, I'll be there. When you see -HS at the end of an @SJGames tweet, I'll be there. When you see me in person at a convention, I'll be there. I mean who else would it be, my Con Clone (patent pending)? That's crazy talk, at least until I extend the 24 hour survival rate of my clones.



I love to talk about games and meet new people, so hit me up on our social channels or at a real life event!



– Hunter Shelburne



Warehouse 23 News: Your Invitation Awaits



A magical world awaits you at GURPS Locations: Worminghall . Author William H. Stoddard details this sorcerous university, including enrollment, history, environs, and other secrets. Classes are starting soon, and the campus guide is just a download away, only at Warehouse 23.

January 5, 2016: What Does 2016 Hold For GURPS?

Thanks to changes to our approval processes going into and throughout 2015, I was able to resume accepting proposals from writers who weren't on the short list of "staff plus a few old hands who've worked with us forever." Consequently, our bench is comfortably deep as the new year dawns. Though that doesn't immunize us against bad luck (or the flu) – even finished products can be put on hold for a hundred reasons – it does let me hint at what's coming up. Just remember that even with my access to the Secret Files, these are ultimately educated guesses!



Our top priority will continue to be supporting existing series. Foremost among these is the extremely successful GURPS Dungeon Fantasy . That currently has a main-series volume by y.t. and a second Treasures installment from Matt Riggsby near completion; a new Denizens item by y.t. and a main-series work by Christopher R. Rice and Antoni Ten Monrós in editing; and Peter Dell'Orto's next Monsters project awaiting review.



None of which means ignoring other series, of course. A GURPS Powers supplement by Bill Stoddard awaits production. Matt Riggsby's latest for GURPS Hot Spots is about to enter review. And Jason "PK" Levine is almost done with his first draft of GURPS Monster Hunters 6 .



Then there's the groundbreaking stuff, about which I have to be more circumspect. In the "new series" department, PK has one project laid out and awaiting art, and a second in review; Roger Bell_West has cracked the seal on something from our wish list, which is now in production; and Phil Masters has submitted the final draft of support for a genre that's had no love since Third Edition. In the "standalone" category, Bill Stoddard is revising the first draft of a very "meta" (and very GURPS -y) manuscript, while David Pulver is still revising GURPS Vehicle Design . Somewhere in between, Hans-Christian Vortisch is working on serializing one of his past publications.



Naturally, we'll continue to do our best to solve the profitability problems surrounding Phil Masters' second edition of the Discworld Roleplaying Game and PK's GURPS Mars Attacks . If anyone is sorry these didn't appear in 2015, it's me . . . but business is business. We appreciate your patience and understanding.



Interested in tracking these predictions? I give out similar hints quarterly in the GURPS News and weekly in my blog. And you can join in the daily, even hourly speculation on our forums.



– Sean Punch



Warehouse 23 News: Become A GURPS GM!



Harnessing the power of the awesome GURPS system is easier than you think, thanks to How to Be a GURPS GM . This guide takes you through all the tricks of deciding which rules you need for the type of game you want, how to help your players make great characters, how to run the game, and more. Unleashing ultimate power has never been easier, thanks to a download from Warehouse 23!

January 3, 2016: PHD Asks: "Who Created The Mess In The House?"

Our upcoming Simon's Cat card game has already generated quite a bit of buzz. When we first shared the game with retailers back in November, it was the hit of the party, and now one of our distributor partners – Peachstate Hobby Distribution – has posted an overview of the game. Ian played the game with both co-workers at the PHD offices and his family, and it is his family's reaction to the game that has us most excited. In the PHD post Ian writes:



"To test how easy the game would be to understand, outside of all us gamer nerds at the office, I took the game home and played with my family. Two daughters, 18 and 7, my wife (age undisclosed as I like being married) and myself (teaching). Though my 7-year old didn't grasp the card counting strategy she was perfectly able to grasp how to play and we ran through multiple games with everyone really enjoying it."



Perfect! That's the exact response we were hoping for when we worked out the final bits of balance. Thanks, Ian, for your infectious enthusiasm for the game and for spreading word about the Simon's Cat card game. We appreciate the encouragement and can't wait to sit down and play against you later this year.



– Phil Reed



Warehouse 23 News: Fight Aliens With Kenneth Hite



The latest installment of Ken Writes About Stuff #3 is here! With Galileo Uplift , Ken Hite will teach you how to reverse-engineer alien gear and equipment . . . and use it to fight against the Moon Dust Men. Download it today from Warehouse 23 – or else there might not be a tomorrow!

January 4, 2016: What You Missed - Munchkin Guest Artist Edition Announcements

Happy 2016 everyone! Our office doors open back up today and Warehouse 23 is shipping orders soon. "What's in store for 2016, the 15th Anniversary of Munchkin ?" you may ask.



Well, let's look back at some hints we posted toward the end of last year.



 



Munchkin – Edwin Huang



Edwin Huang is the illustrator of UDON Entertainment's Super Street Fighter and Archie Comics' Mega Man . Not new to Munchkin , Edwin's work is in Munchkin Skullkickers .



- The Reveal – See sneak peeks of Edwin's early sketches for the set.



- The Announcement



 



Munchkin Zombies – Greg Hyland



Greg is known for the classic superhero parody comic, Lethargic Lad and the AFOLs comic, featuring an adult Lego fan. You can also find Greg's work in Munchkin Fu !



- John Kovalic Introduces Greg Hyland – See sneak peeks of Greg's early sketches for the set.



- The Announcement



 



Super Munchkin – Art Baltazar



Among Art's many credits are Tiny Titans and Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! for DC, as well as his own books The Big Amoeba and Patrick the Wolf Boy . 



- The Reveal – More on working with Art.



- The Announcement



 



 



 



Munchkin Cthulhu – Katie Cook



Katie Cook is illustrated Munchkin Love Shark Baby , Munchkin Kittens , and the upcoming Munchkin Puppies .



- The Reveal – More on working with Katie.



- The Announcement



 



Start celebrating the new year with one of our limited Guest Artist T-Shirts ! Oh, and the previous recap is here.



– Rhea Friesen



Warehouse 23 News: War Amid The Stars



Bring the thrill of space opera to your gaming table with GURPS Tales of the Solar Patrol . The flavor of the serials, novels, and radio shows of the '30s through '50s come to life in this alternate historical campaign. The world of tomorrow can be yours today, thanks to a download from Warehouse 23!

January 2, 2016: Pew! Pew! Pew!

Fantasy Flight Games' X-Wing Miniatures Game is the best starship combat game of the decade. The game started strong, and now after a few years of miniature releases I can say that it's far deeper and more fun than I had expected when the game was first announced. The pre-painted plastic minis are incredible, and the fact that they've released such oddities as the TIE Defender and IG-2000 just shows how far they're willing to go with the game.



I've now introduced the game to my wife – who happens to love TIE Fighters even more than I do – and we're both enjoying the quality of the minis and how easy it is to maneuver and attack in the game. I enjoyed the game the first time I played it back in 2012, but revisiting the game over the last month and seeing all of the amazing starship miniatures makes me appreciate the X-Wing Miniatures Game more now than I ever have before.



If you need me, I'll be busy again trying to defeat my wife and her TIE Punisher. That thing is nasty!



– Phil Reed



Warehouse 23 News: More Dungeon Crawling For The Holidays!



The cold winter months are perfect for heated battle, thanks to Goodman Games! Dungeon Crawl Classics 2015 Holiday Module: Advent of the Avalanche Lords is a seasonal adventure for the Dungeon Crawl Classic RPG , while Maximum Xcrawl: BostonCrawl is perfect for Pathfinder . Download them both today, from Warehouse 23!

January 1, 2016: Welcome, 2016!

The year is 2016. This years marks:



The 35th anniversary of Car Wars . Watch for the new edition later this year!


The 30th anniversary of GURPS . What surprises do we have for GURPS this year? Keep an eye on the Daily Illuminator!


The 15th anniversary of Munchkin , which we're celebrating with a series of Guest Artist Edition games.
Thanks, everyone, for making our 2015 so amazing. We've got big plans for 2016 (yes, more than what we've listed above) and we're looking for help because we need more talented staff to make this year even better than last year.



– Phil Reed



Warehouse 23 News: It's True – Two New Feng Shui 2 Goodies For You!



A classic adventure returns – Feng Shui 2: Burning Shaolin Redux ! Use its Pathfinder stats to play with that system, or unleash the power of the revamped and amped Feng Shui 2 on it! If you do that, you'll also benefit from the Feng Shui 2 Archetype Pack , with 36 ready-to-use archetypes. Download them all today from Warehouse 23!

December 31, 2015: LibertyCon 29 - Chattanooga, TN - July 8-10, 2016

Last year's LibertyCon was so good (and that's not even counting the train ride) that I'll be back. Even by the high standards of Southern conventions, the con committee is fun and friendly, the fans are fun and friendly, the guests are excellently wide-ranging and friendly, and the local MIBs are numerous, enthusiastic, fun, and fiendish. Oops, I meant "friendly." Really.



And there's a particularly good art show.



More as the event approaches.



– Steve Jackson



Warehouse 23 News: Shop For Flamethrowers, Tank Equipment, And More!



The holidays are more fun with catalogs . . . and what's more fun than a catalog of gear for Car Wars Classic ? Uncle Albert's Catalog From Hell has over 200 pages of goodies from across the Car Wars line – and some stuff that's nowhere else! Download today only from Warehouse 23, and make your Uncle Albert happy.