Steve Jackson's Blog, page 389

April 4, 2015: Get Ready For COMBAT!!

Combat is often one of the most fun (and detailed) aspects of many RPGs, and GURPS is no exception. Pyramid #3/77: Combat is devoted to the fine art of fighting. For starters, it features a detailed compilation and expansion of the GURPS scaling rules from Sean Punch. Attack giants, dodge drones, or battle against alien face-eaters with more ease and clarity than ever before.



This issue also offers one of our most ambitious articles ever: a look at codifying monstrous threats in GURPS Dungeon Fantasy . With a few straightforward calculations, you'll be able to tell if a critter will be a pushover or wipe out the whole party. It also includes calculations for all Dungeon Fantasy monsters up through last month's Pyramid!



But that's not all! Pyramid #3/77 also includes optional rules for aiming – guns, bows, or lasers – from Douglas H. Cole (of GURPS Martial Arts: Technical Grappling fame), new armor sets for GURPS Low-Tech: Instant Armor , historical armies for GURPS Mass Combat , and more.



Don't fight the urge to add Pyramid #3/77: Combat to your library! Pick it up individually, or subscribe to Pyramid today and get the latest and greatest for GURPS for months to come!



– Steven Marsh



Warehouse 23 News: Get Into Transhuman Space Like Never Before!



In case you missed it, the world of Transhuman Space has been bursting with excitement lately! Recent releases have included revised templates for biotechnological wonders ( Bioroid Bazaar ), a look at the action-packed Japan Emergency Rescue Agency ( Wings of the Rising Sun ), a guide to mysteries and hi-tech whodunnits ( Transhuman Mysteries ), and even a guide to hand-to-hand combat in the world of tomorrow ( Martial Arts 2100 ). Download any of these today, from Warehouse 23!

March 31, 2015: My First Big Writing Gig

Some of you know that, in addition to being Marketing Director for Steve Jackson Games, I do quite a lot of freelance writing and game design for other companies, including Evil Hat Productions. That started a few years ago, when they asked me to do some system development on a book called Strange Tales of the Century .



I guess I did well on that, because next they wanted me to write a chapter in The Paranet Papers , the first big supplement for The Dresden Files RPG . It was my first big, high-profile writing gig for them, in a game I loved about a novel series I devour voraciously as books are released. It led to a lot of other opportunities (some of them in the same project, many of them in other projects), and writing that chapter was a big milestone for me.



And now The Paranet Papers is up for preorder. And that blows my mind.



This industry has been really good to me, and seeing that preorder page go up was a big reminder of just how good. Getting the PDF of the final book was . . . well, it was a big deal.



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: Fight More! Fight Better!



Kick your combats up a notch with Pyramid #3/77: Combat . Get new GURPS rules to fight giants, aim better, amass armies, codify GURPS Dungeon Fantasy monsters, and more. Get back in the fight by buying this issue separately or as the first issue of a subscription; it's all a download away at Warehouse 23!

April 1, 2015: With April Comes A Shower Of GURPS Excitement

What's that ominous sound getting closer . . . closer . . . closer ? Don't look now, but more awesome GURPS releases are almost here. Very soon, we'll offer GURPS Zombies: Day One , a collection of ready-to-use campaign worlds for GURPS Zombies in a tradition similar to the best-selling GURPS Infinite Worlds: Worlds of Horror . Written by Sean Punch – author of the original Zombies hardcover – this meaty supplement features eight settings that cover a variety of genres and types of restless dead. Visit the Empire of the Necromancer-King and save a fantasy realm from an undead threat, leap into an action movie to save the Savage Streets from a hot new drug with unexpected side effects, explore the Depravity Well of an alien world to discover its horrifying secrets, and more.



We're also assembling a new Pyramid that looks at more spiritual aspects of gaming. This issue will explore new rules for those who are blessed, new options for those who are cursed, new cultists to fight (or join!), and other soul-stirring suggestions. Look for Pyramid #3/78 at the end of the month . . . or subscribe now and have it delivered automatically as soon as it's released.



The long, cold winter is almost over, but GURPS remains as hot as ever. Look for these downloads soon from Warehouse 23!



– Steven Marsh



Warehouse 23 News: Take No Prisoners! (Techno Prisoners?)



Fight against a mad computer's desire to capture humans in What Are The Prisoners of Rec-Loc-119? , an adventure for the classic Metamorphosis Alpha game. Our computers at Warehouse 23 are ready to help you download this. Trust us.

April 2, 2015: Car Wars Arenas: The Kickstarter

By now, it's possible you've heard rumblings about the Car Wars Arenas Kickstarter. Well, it's now live! Go check it out, and if you want a bunch of Car Wars Classic maps at full play scale, then back it!



And that's not all – in celebration of all this awesome Car Wars stuff happening, from now until the end of April you'll be able to get all Car Wars games, supplements, and other products on Warehouse 23 at 25% off!



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: Magic To Die For?



Do you like spells? Do you like spell-creation systems? Why not both? With GURPS Magic: Death Spells , acclaimed author Sean Punch delivers a system that can let you craft your own GURPS instant-death spells and four dozen example spells, with examples for every school of magic. Conjure up this download today, thanks to Warehouse 23!

April 3, 2015: Munchkin Bricks On Warehouse 23

Did you miss out on the Munchkin Bricks Kickstarter? Well, now you can get a set of Warehouse 23-exclusive Munchkin Bricks. They even come with a special promo card and bookmark!



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: We Won't Boar You With Pig Puns . . .



It's so fun to fight wereboars, the heroes are always bacon for more. Get ready for lycanthropic thrills with Gibbous Moon Collector's Edition , a Pathfinder Roleplaying Game -compatible adventure that's just a download away from Warehouse 23!

March 30, 2015: Car Wars Classic Will Return

Late last year we released a reprint of Car Wars Classic and sold through our print run within the first week. Thousands of games gone in less than a week? That was amazing and required a reprint of the game. The reprint arrived earlier this month and we shipped games out to distributors, shipped more games, kept shipping games, and ten days later 90% of the print run was gone. Wow.



Time to schedule another reprint of Car Wars Classic . First, though, we have to tackle the Car Wars Arenas project. It's almost time!



– Phil Reed



Warehouse 23 News: Will You Become A Legend Or...



Will you be fodder for the twisted Knights of Ilbor while they try to revive the cult of the serpent goddess Nakari with the help of her priestesses?  Legendary Dungeoneer: Wrath of the Serpent Goddess is the first Legendary set for the Dungeoneer card game where you can advance your characters from previous sets to higher levels or use the high-level characters that come with the game. Available from Warehouse 23.

March 29, 2015: Selecting The Car Wars Arenas Cover

Our Kickstarter project for Car Wars Arenas launches on March 31, 2015, and while discussing the project at the GAMA Trade Show I spent a little time talking about the cover artwork. The cover artwork was first created for Space Gamer #50, and as a kid it was always one of my favorite Car Wars images and I felt it should have been a book cover instead of just a magazine cover.



Well, one of the benefits of my position at Steve Jackson Games is that every now and then I get the opportunity to make a decision based solely on personal preferences. As the plan for Car Wars Arenas came together I started searching through the existing Car Wars back catalog for an appropriate cover. I first thought that the The AADA Duel Circuit: L'Outrance cover would be an excellent choice, but I quickly dismissed the idea because the art was already used for an arena project. I sifted through the options a bit more, but all along that Space Gamer #50 cover was in the back of my mind . . . and I quickly started checking our archives to see if the film was still available.



Not only was the film available, but the film was exactly where it should have been and was in much better condition than I had hoped. A quick visit with our production staff and we soon had the Car Wars Arenas artwork and cover design ready to go. And, maybe most important of all, one of my favorite pieces of Car Wars art from the eighties had finally made it to its rightful place as the cover of a Car Wars expansion.



Next? The Car Wars Arenas project on Kickstarter. Check back on March 31, 2015 and join us in making this box of arenas a reality.



– Phil Reed



Warehouse 23 News: Live And Let Spy!



Take a journey for King and Country – not really.  Munchkin Impossible turns munchkins into spies!  Use self-destructing gadgets and fight off the opposition. Maybe you'll square off against the Super Spy himself. Grab a copy from Warehouse 23 today.

March 25, 2015: Rate Expectations?

February marked the first anniversary of the Warehouse 23 changeover. (Why didn't we have anniversary cake?!) The site continues to be tweaked and improved behind the scenes, but lots of good bits have been here since the beginning. For example, ratings.



Did you know that you can rate anything you've bought via Warehouse 23? It's useful to us and to other buyers, letting them know what's hot or cool, and what wasn't your favorite.



Rating stuff is easy! Just make sure you're logged into your account (via the handy "Log In" link on the orange bar at the top), re-visit the page of an item you purchased, and click the star rating you'd like to give it. It's a five-star rating with possible half-stars, so ratings range from 0.5 through 5.0.



And if you want to make it easier to revisit those pages, just go to your orders page, which lists all previous orders. Click a past order, click the name of item(s) from that order, and rate away!



– Steven Marsh



Warehouse 23 News: Got An Idea For A Munchkin Card?



We have just what you've been looking for! The Munchkin Blank Cards are back! Grab a set and have ten blank door and treasure cards to make as nutty as you want. If you think they're good enough, why not submit them using our card submission form? Available exclusively from Warehouse 23.

March 26, 2015: Munchkin World NYC Shirts On Warehouse 23

Did you miss Munchkin World NYC in February? Did you gloat to everyone that you were there and they want proof? We've got you covered . . . literally. Grab this shirt on Warehouse 23 now!



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: Stick Figure Mayhem!



Ever wanted to bash that know-it-all at your office with a stapler, but social niceties stopped you? In Let's Kill, you take on the role of a psychotic killer trying to whack as many people in as many bizarre ways as you can. This game is intended for mature audiences. Available from Warehouse 23.

March 27, 2015: Crowdfunding Focus: Ferrofluid

I have just signed up to support the Ferrofluid project on Kickstarter, at the "you get both toys" level. If you have never seen ferrofluid, stop what you are doing, right now. It's not important. The dog will extinguish itself naturally; it's part of Nature's plan.



NOW, go to Youtube and search for "ferrofluid." Here's a starter. There are more visually dramatic ones, but I like Mist8k's video because he explains a bit more about what he is doing, and he's not afraid to (literally) get his hands dirty.



Yep. A liquid that is affected by magnetic fields, and does it look cool, or what? I'm not unaware of the potential for practical applications that may someday let us live forever, in a flying car, while eating bacon-flavored doughnuts and not gaining weight. But ferrofluid would be justified on its sheer visual awesomeness, even if it had NO practical applications and occasionally set the dog on fire.







The Kickstarter project ends on March 31. It's already WAY oversubscribed, but he's got a stretch goal . . .



– Steve Jackson



Warehouse 23 News: Darkness Falls...



A rumble is heard in the distance and it seems to be getting louder, but the sentries don't see anything until it's too late. Ogre: Nightfall comes with two sheets of Ogre 3-D models in ominous black as well as turrets, laser towers, and trains. It also comes with a sheet of GEV counters, map tiles, and other game enhancers. Available from Warehouse 23.