Steve Jackson's Blog, page 390

March 28, 2015: Crowdfunding Focus: Lord Of The Fries

I enjoy Lord of the Fries very much. I even had the privilege of publishing it once, while Cheapass Games was in its Relatively Dimly Lit Ages. But now Cheapass is gloriously resurgent and James is Kickstarting a new edition of Lord of the Fries , and you should go support it right now. You've got until April 3, which will be here before you know it, so you should go support it RIGHT NOW.







– Steve Jackson



Warehouse 23 News: Get Your Garb On!



You and your friends are newbies at the Renaissance Fair, and you stick out like a sore thumb with your T-shirts and tennis shoes. In Ren Faire, you perform for the crowd to get coin to buy gear to wear. This innovative clear card game is available from Warehouse 23.

March 22, 2015: I Write About Marketing Toys

Over the recent holiday break I completed two new books about the marketing techniques toymakers used in the '80s to sell me (and millions of kids like me) action figures. Now writing about toys isn't exactly new for me, but it isn't every day that I take the time to actually assemble my thoughts into two hardcover books. The creation of the two books was a lot of fun for me, but the waiting for the printer to complete the books was painful; I'm not the most patient person out there. Give me finished books now!



Well, both books have been printed and shipped, and a kind retailer is offering both titles on Amazon.com. Each Sold Separately and Action Figures Not Included were created to be read as a pair, but if you decide to give only one of the two a chance I suggest reading Each Sold Separately first since it lays the foundation for the next book, then builds on and expands it.



I've got another book project under way now and have mentioned to Steve how I'd love to tackle a retrospective focusing on Car Wars from launch through the end of Autoduel Quarterly . This would be a personal project if I take it on, and at the moment I'm thinking the Car Wars book may very well be my next distraction from stress once the latest book is finished and off to the printer.



– Phil Reed



Warehouse 23 News: Start Your Engines!



Get the behind the wheel of Sport Cthutility Vehicle and tear up the track and your opponents.  Cthulhu 500 mixes racing with the mythos of HP Lovecraft for motor sports carnage. Grab a copy from Warehouse 23 today and get a special promo!

March 23, 2015: Emerald City Munchkin Comic Cover

The awesome folks over at Boom! Studios have been doing a fantastic job with the Munchkin comic. It's a great story with great art, and they keep making a bunch of really good covers for each issue. But they didn't stop there! If you're going to Emerald City Comic Con, you'll be able to pick up the exclusive cover for issue 1 depicted in this post. Woot!



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: All Hail King Torg!



A kobold's life isn't easy, but at least there's plenty of babies to eat.  Munchkin Kobolds Ate My Baby is a new booster for Munchkin , based on the RPG of the same name . Now you can fight a Chicken with Attitude while wearing the Beer Barrel Armor. Grab a copy from Warehouse 23 today.

March 24, 2015: GAMA Retailer Party: After Action Report

Last week, Andrew, Randy, and I flew to Las Vegas for two days so we could host a party for retailers at GAMA Trade Show. Phil gave his presentations at GAMA, and told all the retailers to come to the Bally's penthouse to socialize and tell us what we can do to better serve them.



And they did.



All told, we got something like 150 retailers over the course of the night, and they gave us some really valuable feedback. It was a fantastic night, everyone had a lot of fun, and we all got to live the high life in Vegas for a few hours.



Oh, and if you're at all curious about what we announced at GAMA, Andrew and I got interviewed by Watch it Played, wherein we spilled the beans. Er, the beans that Phil had already spilled. Beans were spilled. You know what I mean.



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: Take Your Tale To The Seven Seas!



With Once Upon A Time: Seafaring Tales you can do just that. Inspired by tales of daring pirates and stories of the sea, this expansion adds 38 story cards and 17 endings. Shuffle it in with your Once Upon A Time game deck to bring your story out to sea. Available from Warehouse 23.

March 20, 2015: Atlas Games Promos Now In Warehouse 23!

The transparently humorous and gloomy Atlas Games visited Warehouse 23 and they left three new Easter eggs behind for you. Look for a Ren Faire postcard, an extra car for Cthulhu 500 , or a new Gloom card in your upcoming orders!







– Rhea Friesen



Warehouse 23 News: Take A Gloomy Trip!



Gloom: Unfortunate Expeditions Second Edition lets you take that eccentric family of misfits on Expeditions around the globe, plus it brings a new family of intrepid explorers to Gloom . Add this expansion to the base game for more gloomy fun. The Second Edition maintains backwards compatiblity, so you can use this expansion with any version of Gloom . Grab a copy from Warehouse 23 .

March 21, 2015: GURPS Delivers For Dungeon Delvers

Fans of the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy line have reason to celebrate this month, with an issue of Pyramid devoted to expanding its potential and possibilities. Pyramid #3/76: Dungeon Fantasy IV features a new template – the psychic slayer – plus abilities, power-ups, enemies, and more, all from the pen of Sean Punch (who was also the mastermind behind GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 14: Psi ).



This issue continues the excitement with two new monster prefixes that go great with GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1 (plus a boatload of modified monsters that take advantage of those options), a meaty guide to tweaking and enhancing magic, new magic items of interest to martial artists, a look at living dungeon rooms, and much more. This star-studded issue features new goodies from David L. Pulver ( GURPS Banestorm: Abydos ), Peter V. Dell'Orto ( GURPS Martial Arts ), Douglas Cole ( GURPS Technical Grappling ), and Matt Riggsby ( GURPS Locations: Hellsgate ). (And did we mention the new Murphy's Rules comic?)



Pyramid is a fantastic spot for big ideas crammed in small packages, and Pyramid #3/76: Dungeon Fantasy IV is one of our most jam-packed yet. Add it to your trove today!



– Steven Marsh



Warehouse 23 News: Shiny!



It still has all that wonderful monster killing, backstabbing and treasure-taking action, but now in a shiny foil box!  Munchkin (Foil Edition) gives you all the dungeon-delving action you want without all that roleplaying stuff. Get a copy from Warehouse 23 today.

March 18, 2015: The Car Wars Arenas Kickstarter

Do you want more maps for Car Wars Classic ? How about some classic maps, but blown up to full, playable size? That's what the upcoming Car Wars Arenas Kickstarter is all about! Watch this space for more info (but we'll share a secret with you: it'll go live later this month!).



Note: this is not the Kickstarter for the new edition of Car Wars . That's still coming. We promise.



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: Get Organized, With GURPS!



Now you can stat out organizations and groups with ease in GURPS , thanks to the just-released GURPS Boardroom and Curia . Following on the footsteps of similar volumes for cities and spaceships, Boardroom and Curia has the rules and tools you need to form your own groups. It also comes with seven fully worked examples! Download it today, only from Warehouse 23!

March 19, 2015: Munchkin Trading Cards Later This Year!

We've entered into an agreement with Renegade Game Studios to create a line of Munchkin trading cards! These are due out later in 2015. They'll come in boxes of 24 random packs, and at least one sketch or autograph card will be found in every box. Check out their website for more info!



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: Here Come The Orcs!



You can now play as an Orc in Munchkin with Munchkin 2: Unnatural Axe . The first expansion for Munchkin comes with 112 cards that add more craziness to this game of backstabbing and treasure taking. Grab a copy from Warehouse 23 today.

March 16, 2015: Chi-Fi - I AM NOT GOING

I will not be appearing at Chi-Fi, due to bad communications and non-payment. If you had hoped to see me at that show, I'm very sorry - but the con chair is no longer returning my calls or mail, I haven't even been reimbursed for the plane ticket, and the only other committee member I have ever spoken to could do nothing but refer me back to the chair. I don't know what's going on there, but it will be without me.



I know their website still shows me as a guest. This is incorrect, and if you are acquainted with anyone on the committee, feel free to point that out to them.



It upsets me deeply to cancel an appearance, but spring has come to Texas, the wildflowers are blooming, and now I have six unexpected days to work in the yard. Chicago-area fans, the next time I expect to be in your area is for Brickworld this summer - not as a performer, but as a Lego fanboy - but I'll make sure to be findable.



– Steve Jackson



Warehouse 23 News: Star Fleet Needs You!



Take to the stars with a classic! After more than 20 years, the Star Fleet Battle Manual is back, with an updated and improved 3rd Edition. Download this Gamescience classic from Warehouse 23, print out everything you need, and protect the Federation!

March 17, 2015: Crowdfunding Focus: Pictodon

It's a universal truth that playing an RPG is made 250% better when you have a sweet portrait for your character. Unfortunately, I'm not an artist, and neither are you (unless you are, in which case, that's pretty rad). What are we to do?



Enter Pictodon. Pictodon is a tool that takes what's great about customizing your character appearance in a video game and gives it to you in a program designed specifically for making character portraits for your tabletop game. You customize your character's appearance, add tattoos and scars, dress them up, pose them, and take pictures. As your character evolves in the game, you can go back and tweak them in Pictodon, print out new portraits, and generally keep your character's appearance current.



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: So You Want To Be A Fantasy Hero?



Being a fantasy hero has never been easier, thanks to Fantasy Hero Complete . It comes with a complete distillation of the HERO System, a setting, an adventure, maps, a character sheet, and more. Fantastic fun is a download away, thanks to Warehouse 23!