Steve Jackson's Blog, page 39

October 10, 2024: Meet & Game With Steve Jackson At Gamehole Con!

Gamehole Con takes place October 17th - 20th in Madison, Wisconsin, at the Alliance Energy Center's Exhibition Hall. Fans of Steve Jackson Games who are attending will have the opportunity to play games with members of the SJG team and even Steve Jackson himself! Tickets to the following events are extremely limited, but a few remain at the time of this article's publishing.   Express is Back! – This classic card game is back in print. Build trains. Wreck your rivals. Hosted by Steve Jackson.  Chez Geek – 20-somethings share an apartment. Hilarity ensues. Hosted by Dorkstock, featuring Steve Jackson.   Munchkin - A new Munchkin game or supplement not yet released. Hosted by Dorkstock, featuring Steve Jackson.  Gritty Reboot Sneak Preview! – Come turn your nostalgia into nightmare fuel in an exclusive sneak preview of Gritty Reboot . This one-shot RPG will be appearing in an upcoming microgame anthology from Steve Jackson Games. Hosted by Irene Zielinski, for mature audiences only.  Is your game of choice sold out? Don't worry – you'll still have the chance to meet Steve at the What's New at SJGames presentation! This special event, which will also feature SJGames CEO Meredith Placko, will give fans a preview of upcoming games that have not yet been announced. Following the talk, you'll have the unique opportunity to participate in a Q&A, and then Steve will sign autographs for attendees. Tickets to the presentation free, but are also limited, so secure yours today!

– Michelle Richardson

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

October 9, 2024: Pre-Order!

Seeing as how we're in the business (literally!) of coming up with the latest and greatest in gaming goodness, we talk about pre-ordering a nontrivial amount around here. We normally offer our humble suggestion for what to pre-order, but not today. This time, I want to talk about pre-ordering in general. (Okay, fine; I've got the Munchkin Shadowrun box right there. But it's just an example, honest!)

I worked retail at a friendly local game shop for a number of years . . . and, of course, I can often be found frequenting my own FLGSes as a customer, at least until I'm shooed away with a broom. The past however-many years has seen a number of changes to our hip-and-happening hobby, but one of the biggest has been the shift from a perennial to a periodical model. That is, in the old days, it'd be straightforward to go into a game shop 6 to 12 months after a game's release and still see it on the shelves. Nowadays, new items might only remain on shelves for a much smaller number of months . . . or even weeks.

This is generally because most stores don't restock as much as they used to, and they do so much more selectively. From a certain perspective, this makes total sense; when (say) Settlers of Catan  was one of only a couple dozen new big-ticket games to come out in a year, the store would keep restocking it because they knew it would sell out within a short time. But when there are that same amount of new big-ticket items in a month (or even a week at some parts of the year), there just isn't inventory space or discretionary store money to stock everything forever.

That's why pre-ordering is so important. If you know for certain you're going to want, say, Munchkin Shadowrun and you'll pick it up from your FLGS, then see if you can pre-order it. A lot of stores welcome insight into guaranteed sales for two reasons: It lets them gauge initial demand for forthcoming releases (an almost-impossible task for stores), and it helps ensure they can meet the demands of customers who don't pre-order. If a store only thinks it can sell 10 copies of Munchkin Shadowrun in a month but 20 customers show up to buy it on its release day, everyone's going to be unhappy. (Well, except those 10 folks who actually got their copy of Munchkin Shadowrun . . . they're going to have a boatload of cyberpunk-fantasy fun.)

If you're a super fan of a line of games, see if a store offers "subscriptions" or other ongoing pre-orders. I have a few of those at my local shops, and they certainly enhance my gaming experience. I don't have to keep track of what's coming out or when; I just get a call when something new arrives and they have it waiting for me.

I know everyone can't necessarily take advantage of pre-orders, but when they work, they're magical for customers, local shops, and humble game companies alike.

– Steven Marsh

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

October 8, 2024: Enter Today: Steve Jackson Games 2024 Costume Contest!

It's October, which means Halloween season is in full swing. In honor of this fun time of year, we're hosting a costume contest! Between October 7th and November 7th, fans can create a costume based on their favorite Steve Jackson game or character. Then upload 1-5 photos of your costume (and you!) to the link below:  The top three winners, announced in November, will receive a spooky prize pack! 1st Place:-$75 Warehouse 23 Gift Certificate- Munchkin Zombies Deluxe , signed by Steve- Zombie Dice Horde Edition - Halloween d6 Dice Set  2nd Place:-$50 Warehouse 23 Gift certificate- Munchkin Zombies Deluxe - Halloween d6 Dice Set  3rd Place:-$25 Warehouse 23 Gift Certificate- Zombie Dice - Halloween d6 Dice Set  No purchase is necessary to enter or win the contest. Please keep costumes family-friendly, as we will share the winners on our social media channels! Head on over to our Google Form to place your contest entry. We can't wait to see your creations! 

– Michelle Richardson

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

October 7, 2024: MidSouthCon 40

I have accepted an invitation to return to MidSouthCon. I was last there for MSC 30, ten years ago, and had a good time!

It is in Olive Branch, MS, which is a few miles from Memphis, TN. The dates are March 21-23, 2025. It's a general-interest convention with a lot of gaming. The GoH is Keith DeCandido, who has written some light fantasy police procedurals (yep, that is a thing!) that I enjoyed.

See you there?

– Steve Jackson

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

October 6, 2024: Tips For A Frighteningly Fun Halloween Celebration At Disney World

Welcome, Foolish Mortals, to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida! This ghoulishly great after-hours event runs yearly in the Magic Kingdom from mid-August through Halloween night. It's perfect for Disney fans of all ages, and it features many things that are exclusive to this 5-hour party. And if you love villains, this is the place to be. I've attended many times (and went twice this August), so I'd love to share my top five tips and tricks with you! If you don't have a daytime ticket to the party, you can still enter Magic Kingdom at 4:00 pm, which gives you 3 hours to enjoy the rides before the festivities even start. Crowds tend to be lower on these days, so there's a chance you'll be able to get on many of your favorites!The Not-So-Spooky Spectacular fireworks performance, the Boo-To-You parade, and the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular stage show can only be witnessed at the party, so don't miss any of them! Remember to check out the photo ops around the park, which often include special Magic Shots, props, and backgrounds. Head to Frontierland to see the Hitchhiking Ghosts materialize and the Cadaver Dans perform barbershop versions of classic Halloween songs. Go to Adventureland, where you can see the Rusty Cutlass pirate band host a rousing dance party. And don't forget about the fun party-exclusive snacks – some stands will even let you grab yours 30 minutes before the celebration begins.Three rides have special Halloween extras: Space Mountain is pitch-black and plays scary music, the Mad Tea Party has disco lights, and you can see two happy haunts in the queue for the Haunted Mansion.Do you know about the 1-minute-before-park-closing rule? As long as you enter a line at least 1 minute before the end of a regular day or a party night, you can still ride that attraction! If you're dying to experience the new Tiana's Bayou Adventure or Tron, head to the line around 11:50 pm. You'll likely have an incredibly short wait.Finally, for many guests, seeing Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas is a top priority. They're the most fun, magical characters I've ever met! If you'd like to visit them in Halloweentown, line up outside the main gates around 2:00 pm to receive your entry wristband at 4:00 pm. I waited in the actual line for them for just 16 minutes, and when I exited the Town Square Theatre, the wait was already 180 minutes! If you are already in the park with a day ticket or annual pass, you might wait up to an hour to get your wristband at the pick-up stations, giving the advantage to those who wait at the gate.I hope you'll have the chance to visit if you're planning a trip this fall. Silly spooks, creepy creeps, and grim grinning ghosts are all waiting for you. At the time of this article's publishing, nine October dates still had tickets available, so make your final arrangements now!

– Michelle Richardson

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

October 5, 2024: Put A Pin In It

Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest ones. I tend to run fairly complicated RPGs, so occassionally I have a hard time making sure the players and I are all on the same page as far as what they know, what's important, etc. I just had an idea I want to try for my next sprawling complex tendrilled mystery: a corkboard.

Basically, as important (or possibly important) elements are discovered, I can put them on the corkboard . . . or perhaps hand the element to the players to put on the corkboard themselves. There's something very tactile to putting a pushpin into cork, and I suspect it'll be fairly satisfying to the players.

With a long or multifaceted story, the pieces will literally be in front of them to make connections, remind themselves, etc. (I can even use my papercraft skills to ensure the individual elements they're putting on the board look cool.) Having a spot on the board means the element is likely to be important. Conversely, if the quirky hotdog vendor the heroes interrogated for 20 minutes doesn't have a handout for the corkboard, they're not vital to the story. Probably.

If anyone tries this idea before I do (or has already done so!), feel free to share your experiences on the forums.

– Steven Marsh

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

October 4, 2024: After The Storm: Jean's Notes From Helene

As the devastating fallout from Hurricane Helene continues to be uncovered, we are abundantly thankful that everyone at Steve Jackson Games is okay, and our hearts go out to those who were not so fortunate.

Here's an on-the-ground report from Jean, who does magical things with our 3D printing projects: Some things on my end (STL projects) have been delayed because my power was out until Monday (9/30). I just got my Internet back a few hours ago (Wednesday, 10/2), but aside from the contents of my refrigerator, nothing is damaged here. Irene in Atlanta had nothing worse than leaky windows, although that can't be said for the rest of Atlanta, and other parts of Georgia got hit pretty hard. The short version is that the southeast is a mess.



While most of our staff is in Texas, I work remotely from South Carolina. Helene was just ("just!") a tropical storm when it went past about a hundred miles to the west of us. You'd think that would be enough distance, but this storm was huge. My power went out about 3 am Friday (9/27) and didn't come back until Monday afternoon (not long after we'd bought the last generator in South Carolina – and then spent too much time in line to get gas for it). Here in Aiken, SC, trees are down everywhere. My next-door neighbor has a large one in his front yard.

Thankfully, his house is okay. He's not getting out of that driveway without a chainsaw, though. And his garage is missing part of its roof. (As of today, 10/2, that tree is still there). I'm really glad I got that mostly-dead pine in the back yard cut a month or so back. Here are a few more pictures of the local damage: These are downtown, right in front of the municipal building. The large yellow object used to be a traffic light:








This is a block up the street from my house (note size of person). It took several days to get this one cleared, and I think it was actually done by a neighbor with a chainsaw.




And here are a few other shots from around town:




I think my power lines are in this mess:




This is a local business:




This is the wall around the town historical museum, which is in a former mansion:




As I write this, over half the county still doesn't have power, though I'm sure they're repairing the easy problems first. I finally got back my landline phone and Internet access after only 5+ days, much to my surprise, but the net connection is dropping out at random times. Also, I'm afraid to 3D print anything because my printers do not handle power glitches well, and the power periodically drops out when they're switching it during repairs. But at least I can write!

Hurricane Helene: 1/5, do not recommend.

– Jean McGuire

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

October 3, 2024: Well, We Have Incidents And Badgers – So We're Golden?

, I helped edit a Daily Illuminator from Stefan Jones about how he ran Quick Quest 7: Incident at the Golden Badger . One of the behind-the-scenes things I do is add images as appropriate in order to provide the JPG pizzazz that's all the rage on this World Wide Web.

To keep from having too many disparate images floating around, I checked to see if we had featured Incident at the Golden Badger in a previous Daily Illuminator, using Google's handy search ability where I can say "Hey, please pull up all results of ' Incident at the Golden Badger' from the Daily Illuminator section of our website."

Google informed me that we did not have any results in that area for "incident at the golden badger" . . . in quotes. But outside of quotes? Where Google searches each word individually? Yes, it had one hit . . .

The Illuminated Site of the Week Archives, where, indeed, the word "golden" appears . . . as does "badger." And "incident."

I'm not sure if this is as fascinating to you as it is to me, but they're an odd confluence of words to appear in a context beyond the Incident at the Golden Badger adventure, and I felt compelled to share.

– Steven Marsh

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

October 2, 2024: Why Does The Secret Lab Have A Network 123DONT-TELL-BOSS?

I recently came across an article about how senior officials serving on a Navy ship conspired to get themselves Internet wi-fi while aboard their ship. The network had the name "STINKY."

Because I try to get my inspiration from everywhere, I'm trying to envision how to add this to a  GURPS Action  adventure. What might the heroes do if they came across a clandestine wi-fi hotspot clearly not part of the organization they're interacting with, but also somehow still a part of it?

– Steven Marsh

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!

October 1, 2024: Sleepy Hollow

Rick Hershey, who creates 95% of the illustrations in Hexagram, has a new game company: Kids in the Attic. There's a crowdfund going on right now, ending in just a few hours, for the new TTRPG Sleepy Hollow , which uses the Year Zero engine. It's a folk horror game set in early 19th-century New England. Headless Horseman . . . It's already blasted through its funding goal and added several supplements as stretch goals.

And now you know! If this sounds good, support it in what little time you have left.

– Steve Jackson

Warehouse 23 News: The City Never Sleeps Because Of All The Action

There are a million stories in the city, and they're all exciting! GURPS Action 9: The City shows how you can add GURPS City Stats to your GURPS Action campaigns. It also features six sample cities to use with your own action-packed adventures. Download it today from Warehouse 23!