Steve Jackson's Blog, page 382

June 14, 2015: Why I Play Tabletop Games

Phil sent me this article, and it got me thinking about why I play tabletop games.



There are several reasons, really. I like the strategy. I'm a sucker for learning new mechanics and figuring out how they work. A game with a really good, solid theme can hook me quickly. Certain types of games, like deck-builders ( Dominion et al.) or co-op games (such as Pandemic , or the semi-cooperative  Munchkin Panic ), tickle certain parts of my brain that get me interested.



But the primary reason is that I like being part of the community. Tabletop gamers are, on the whole, great folks. Sure, there are some bad apples. But for the most part we realize that this is a social hobby, and if we're not inviting new people into it and showing them what's great about it, it'll die off. And nobody wants that.



This is also why I like local game stores so much. They aren't often able to compete with big box retailers or online retailers in terms of price, but they can provide something that those other retailers can't: a community space. I can't speak for other people but I know that, when I find a local game store with a great community, I tend to stick with it, and I tend to buy there when I can.



Community. It's what makes our hobby great!



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: It's Never Too Early For Star Fleet Battles!



Spacecraft from the early years of the Star Fleet Battles timeline are here, with the Star Fleet Battles: Module Y2 - The Early Years II SSD Book . It's over 100 pages of SSDs for your combat needs, available in the classic black-and-white version or a colorized version that makes gameplay even easier. Download either (or both!) from Warehouse 23!

June 11, 2015: Hermann Zapf

Anyone who has ever looked at a list of typefaces (or "fonts") has seen the name Zapf Dingbats or Zapf Chancery. Hermann Zapf, the designer of those typefaces, also designed some of the most well-known typefaces of the 20th century, including Palatino and Optima. He died recently at the age of 96, and rather than summarize his life story here, I'll link to Randy Cassingham's "Honorary Unsubscribe" feature so you can read more about Zapf's long life. It's worth the read.



(By the way, the Honorary Subscribe is a side project of Cassingham's This Is True , a weekly "weird news" email newsletter that started in June 1994 . . . making it one of the only continuously running features online that is older than the Daily Illuminator itself. Congratulations, Randy! If you don't know about True, you can subscribe for free to check it out or pay a little extra for earlier mailings with more weird stories and no ads. End of plug from a satisfied customer.)



– Andrew Hackard



Warehouse 23 News: Bad Goo, Good GURPS!



If you play GURPS Dungeon Fantasy , you can always use more monsters! GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 2: Icky Goo delivers a batch of new icky things that are somewhere between "critter" and "trap." Toxins and poisons and flesh-eating threats – the dungeons have never been scarier or slimier! Download Icky Goo now, only from Warehouse 23!

June 12, 2015: Scotland Yard Monitors Trekkies

Arizona-based MIB Jessie Foster brings us some news of the weird: Scotland Yard has apparently been keeping files on fans of various American sci-fi TV shows (like  Star Trek or  The X-Files ) for years. It seems that they don't think that the shows themselves pose any real danger, but they want to keep tabs on the super-fans, just in case. It makes you wonder if they pay the same amount of attention to Browncoats or Whovians.



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: From The Captain's Log – It's Starmada!



Fans of the Starmada game of tactical fleet battles, rejoice! Ships from issues of Captain's Log are here, in an easy-to-use package. Depending on which version of the game you play, you can pick up the Starmada Admiral Log or the Starmada Nova Log . Both are available to download at Warehouse 23!

June 13, 2015: Omega Wolf

I mostly operate behind the scenes at Steve Jackson Games, greasing gears and making sure we color inside the lines . . . but in my nonexistent spare time, one of my creative outlets is writing and recording music under the moniker Omega Wolf. I just released my first LP, and I'm very proud of how it turned out. If you're interested in 30 minutes of instrumental-chill-electro-synth-blues-rock (Is that a genre?), please go check it out!



The entire album can be downloaded from Bandcamp, where you can set your own price (including FREE!), but I'd gladly accept your hard-earned cash if any of you kind souls deem it worthy. It's also available on iTunes, Amazon, and many other online stores at various prices.



I've got material for another three or four releases, so I'm hoping this will be the start of a long-term side project. You know, when I'm not Munchkin Munchkin Munchkin hamburger break Mars Attacks Munchkin Car Wars Ogre Munchkin .



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– Sam Mitschke



Warehouse 23 News: Are You Looking For A Handout?



If you need a handout, and you're a fan of Metamorphosis Alpha , you're in luck! The contains 16 evocative illustrations that will spark the imagination of heroes and GMs alike. (What you do with these illustrations is up to you . . .) Download it today, from Warehouse 23!

June 9, 2015: Upcoming Munchkin Expansion Price Increases

We've talked in the past about how we're doing everything we can to keep Munchkin game prices in check (read all about our battle against inflation in this Daily Illuminator post from last year). Unfortunately, the realities of manufacturing and business have led us to increase the MSRP – that's manufacturer's suggested retail price – by $1 on the 56-card Munchkin tuckbox expansions. The new MSRP, $11.95, takes effect as the reprints of this size expansion reaches our warehouse over the next six to eight months.



The affected titles are:



Munchkin 6 - Demented Dungeons


Munchkin Legends 2 - Faun and Games


Munchkin Legends 3 - Myth Prints


Munchkin Cthulhu 2 - Call of Cowthulhu


Munchkin Cthulhu 3 - The Unspeakable Vault


Munchkin Cthulhu 4 - Crazed Caverns


The Good, the Bad, and the Munchkin 2 - Beating a Dead Horse


Munchkin Zombies 3 - Hideous Hideouts


Munchkin Zombies 4 - Spare Parts
The price changes will take time to trickle through the distribution and retail network, so if you've been thinking about grabbing any of these and want to save $1 on each then we suggest checking with your favorite local game store today. (You can find a game store near you by using our handy store finder.)



We do everything we can to keep prices down, but as soon as we realized that this change had to happen we thought it important to get the word out to all of you before the new prices took effect.



If you have any questions at all about this change please don't hesitate to contact us.



– Phil Reed



Warehouse 23 News: Five! Five Wonderful Dungeons! Bwah-Hah-Hah . . .



The cartographic masterminds at 0one Games are back, with 0one's Blueprints: Five Dungeons . This collection of five generic dungeon blueprints are perfect for you to populate with as much evil as you'd like. (And if you want versions of these dungeons you can use in your own commercial products, you can get those, too!) Download these dungeons today, from Warehouse 23!

June 10, 2015: Battle Of Waterloo At The Military Museum

Our very own Ross Jepson is out next week to participate in a LARGE – over 10,000 15mm figures large! – refight at The Military Museums of Calgary. This is in honor of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, coming up on June 18. The photo (left) shows just the small parts that fit in Ross's basement office.



– Rhea Friesen



Warehouse 23 News: Explosive Essays!



Robin D. Laws (author of the best-selling Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering ) is back! In Blowing Up the Movies , Robin dissects two dozen action movies, turning each one into an essay that teaches you how to up your own games. From Star Wars to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (and beyond), your mind will explode at the possibilities! Download it today, from Warehouse 23!

June 8, 2015: Castellan Recommended By Mensa!

We always knew Castellan , designed by Beau Beckett, was a great game, which is why we submitted it to American Mensa for consideration. Well, they got back to us, and good news: Castellan won their Recommended by Mensa designation! For those who don't know, 15 games got this honor this year. It's a big deal, and we're all very, very excited about it.



"A significant improvement over lines and dots! Definitely need to plan ahead for those last few cards . . . strategy section was a great add. Instructions are pretty clear and game play is smooth and fun. Almost like a chess game . . . need to be thinking several moves ahead." - Mensa Judge, Comment Card, Overall Comments



"This is a simply wonderful game!! It's so rare to find an abstract strategy game that has a relevant theme as this one does. I'd love to see you release a third set of colors (say purple & orange) so it can expand to six players." - Mensa Judge, Comment Card, Overall Comments



"Nice plastic pieces." - Mensa Judge, Comment Card, Overall Comments



"Simple and clear instructions." - Mensa Judge, Comment Card, Overall Comments



"Loved the gameplay." - Mensa Judge, Comment Card, Overall Comments



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: Get Hooked On Ars Magica!



Get into the Ars Magica action quicker than ever, with Ars Magica: Hooks . Each of the eight short adventures herein deliver the excitement of Mythic Europe. Get it as a PDF, or get it as a softcover . . . but either way, get it from Warehouse 23!

June 7, 2015: Take To The Stars, With GURPS!

What's the point of having an awesome spaceship if you don't go somewhere cool with it? The newly released Pyramid #3/79: Space Atlas answers this burning question with new worlds and new options for how to get there.



It features a new colony world from GURPS Ultra-Tech co-author David L. Pulver. Populated with former Earth troublemakers who are now . . . changed thanks to a psionic-inducing plague, this location comes complete with history, complications, and GURPS stats for its dangerous flora and fauna.



This issue also includes two other locations of interest. One is a solar system that ensnares spacecraft and houses the enigmatic Quicksilver-Born (including a GURPS template and new alternate advantage for them), while the other showcases a curious alien race with an odd relationship to time that can benefit inquisitive heroes.



For travelers among worlds who love hard science, this issue also delivers an in-depth look at generating realistic delta-V calculations. Fully compatible with GURPS Space and GURPS Spaceships , this feature will let you perform Hohmann transfers, gravity slingshots, and other possibilities as you move among worlds. But don't let the math scare you; the included bonus spreadsheet makes using its insight a breeze!



And that's still not all the goodness contained within the cargo bay of Pyramid #3/79: Space Atlas! Science-fiction fans can download this issue separately, or subscribe today to keep amazing new developments arriving for your GURPS campaign for months to come!



– Steven Marsh



Warehouse 23 News: Got Writer's Block?



Atlas Games came out with a handy book just for you, the Once Upon a Time Writer's Handbook .  This book details how to turn the cards from Once Upon A Time into story elements you can use.  Download it or get the paperback edition from Warehouse 23 today.

June 6, 2015: Stafford, Petersen Back At Chaosium

We all heard an unexpected bit of industry news recently: Greg Stafford and Sandy Petersen have returned to Chaosium!



Stafford founded Chaosium in 1975, and Petersen is well known for the design and development of the Call of Cthulhu RPG and its offshoots.



SJ Games worked with Stafford's Issaries imprint for a while in the early Aughts and we're delighted to see him back at the company he's so closely associated with.



– Andrew Hackard



Warehouse 23 News: What Are Your Minifigs Missing?



Some Munchkin accessories, that's what. Grab the Munchkin Bricks (smoke set) and give your minifigs the Chainsaw of Dismemberment or have them read from the Necronomicon. Available exclusively from Warehouse 23.

June 4, 2015: Plug For GURPS On Late-Night TV

OK, so I'm catching up on some reading a couple of Friday nights back, and I have on in the background Late Night With Seth Meyers, the NBC after-Fallon talk show. First guest is


Which turns out to be GURPS. No lie. Calls it "exquisite." Then, the segment devolves into an embarrassing episode of "let me tell you about my campaign," starring the HBO actor describing the adventure he is currently running for his friends, and Seth Meyers doing anything he possibly can to get the segment to mercifully end.



But hey, any publicity is good publicity, right? Hit the link and see for yourself.



– Scott Haring



Warehouse 23 News: Save Humanity From SCIENCE! Thanks To GURPS Monster Hunters



The fight to protect humanity doesn't end at the occult. Now, with GURPS Monster Hunters 5: Applied Xenology , you can take the Monster Hunters' fight to more scientific realms. Fight against aliens, conspiracies, technomagic gone awry, and more. The future is just a download away, and only at Warehouse 23!