Steve Jackson's Blog, page 418

June 8, 2014: Warehouse 23 Improvements

Since we launched the new store, we've had some of the growing pains endemic to a site relaunch, and you've been great at bug reporting and letting us know about problems. We appreciate the help, thanks!



We've fixed a lot of things and made improvements, and we're cataloging them on a thread on our forums.



Here are some of the more notable ones:



When you purchase a digital file, you can now download it directly from the order completion page.


Your file library is all loaded at once and sorted to make files easier to locate. Caching was improved to speed up this page load as well.


File names for digital files now match the product titles, rather than the stock number.


You can search the store by contributor (authors, designers, etc.) Products are still being updated with this information.


Searching has been improved. The results should be more relevant and be presented in a more intuitive order now.
We remain committed to making Warehouse 23 awesome, and we appreciate your patience as we crunch through all this work.



– Leonard Balsera



Warehouse 23 News: Deadly, But Polite!



Oh, hi! Welcome to Minnesota. Well, I guess I gotta unload some rockets on you with my station wagon; nothing personal, dontchaknow. If you'd read up on our nice region in the AADA Road Atlas V5: The Midwest , you might know the dangers we pose. Still, if'n ya survive this encounter, ya might want download this classic guide from Warehouse 23 – and have a nice day!

June 7, 2014: Munchkin Zombies Deluxe Available At Barnes & Noble

If you haven't had the chance to get into Munchkin Zombies yet, or you'd like to get a set for a friend, we've partnered with our friends at Barnes and Noble to give you something cool: Munchkin Zombies Deluxe , which includes six colored zombie pawns and a Zombies -themed game board.



Also, if you've already got Munchkin Zombies (thanks; you're awesome!) and you like the idea of a Zombies -themed board, keep an eye out for the upcoming Munchkin Board of Health – it's got a Zombies -themed board on one side, and a Cthulhu -themed board on the other. Because that's a safe combination and all.



– Leonard Balsera



Warehouse 23 News: Wear The Symbol Of The Secret Masters!



Show your true allegiance with the Eye-In-Pyramid Patch .



Display it with pride, look smug, and tell them they're not cleared for that.



Fnord.

June 6, 2014: Spyke And Flower Photobomb Contest

How would you like to win a Munchkin Imaginary Friend (pictured to the right)? Well, it's time to put your Photoshop skills to the test! For the next two weeks, we're asking you to create celebrity photobombs using Spyke and Flower, our Munchkin mascots. Find a celebrity photo and drop either or both munchkins into the pic in a way that makes us laugh, and you might win an Imaginary Friend ! Here are the contest rules:



The contest runs from today until June 22nd. On July 7th we'll announce our five favorites, and those five people will each get one  Imaginary Friend !


You have to use the art we're providing for Spyke and Flower. Just download the two PSDs at the bottom of this post and start photobombing!


Munchkin is a game for kids 10 and up; as such, your photobomb must be appropriate for 10-year-olds.


You can include a caption, but you don't need to. Funny captions improve your chance of winning, though.


You can enter as many times as you want! Yay!


In order for your entry to be considered valid, you must do one of the following with the picture:








Post it on Twitter and tag us in the tweet (@SJGames).






Post it on Facebook and tag us in the post (SJGames).






Post it on a blog or other website and email us a link to the post (marketing@sjgames.com), with the subject line "Photobomb Contest".





You can be anywhere in the world and still win! Yay!
There will be five winners, chosen by us here at Steve Jackson Games, based on our own fickle senses of humor. Also, if you don't have Photoshop, GIMP is a good, free alternative that'll open those PSDs!



PSD for Spyke (8.2 MB)



PSD for Flower (4.2 MB)



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: Kangaroos With Flamethrowers?!



No, there aren't any rules for maverick marsupials with molten munitions in the AADA Road Atlas V4: Australia . . . but if you wanted to add them to your Car Wars or GURPS Autoduel games, this supplement is sure to provide all the other info you need for your down-under adventures. Download this classic now, only from Warehouse 23!

June 5, 2014: Origins Is Upon Us!

Just a reminder: we'll be at Origins next weekend! Not only that, but the Munchkin Tavern will be at Origins next weekend, so stop on by and play some games with us. Also, come see us at booth 201, and check our Facebook and Twitter accounts during the convention for some fun surprises!



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: Math Hard! Loot Pretty!



Keep track of your combat strength in any Munchkin game with a handy little Kill-O-Meter .



Just turn up the dial each time you add an item bonus.



Available in original Munchkin , Munchkin Cthulhu ,   and now Munchkin Apocalypse flavors!

June 4, 2014: Munchkin Loot Letter Headed To Print

As we recently announced, we have partnered with Alderac Entertainment Group to meld the fantastic Love Letter and Munchkin juggernaut into a single treasure-snatching card game that you will want in your pocket: Munchkin Loot Letter is on the way! I've gotta say that everyone on both teams really came together on this one. I'm proud of how our crew stepped up and dove right in, helping the guys at AEG make this twisted blend of games something completely new and fun.



Munchkin fans will want to try this because:



Love Letter  is a blast. Really! Small, portable, plays fast, and great for those non-gaming relatives.


Loot Letter has new John Kovalic artwork!


When Steve played the game with our staff, I could hear the laughter in my office. With the door closed. And my music cranked.


There's a new Munchkin game card packed in the box, created especially for this set.
Munchkin Loot Letter is expected in stores this fall, and at just $10.99 it's a very inexpensive buy for a hell of a fun game.



– Phil Reed



Warehouse 23 News: Great Goods For Ghastly Guys And Gals



Why should heroes get all the cool stuff? Pyramid #3/67: Tools of the Trade - Villains rectifies the balance of power by providing goodies that mostly benefit the baddies. Sell your soul, drive a Nazi tank, hire henchmen for your lair, and more. Download this issue by itself, or subscribe today and get more months of awesomeness.

June 2, 2014: Munchkin Deluxe And The Fight Against Inflation

As we've said before, we've made some minor cosmetic changes to the core Munchkin games over the last year or so in order to hold costs down so we don't have to raise the price of the game. If you missed the earlier Daily Illuminator posts that spell out the specifics, here they are:



March 30, 2013: Munchkin: Drawing The Line At $24.95


February 21, 2014: Munchkin: $24.95 And Holding Firm!
Starting with the fifth printing,  Munchkin Deluxe is also getting minor revisions to keep its price point unchanged. We've replaced one of the more expensive components inside the game (after the board and the box itself), the plastic pawns, with chipboard standees. This change makes it possible for us to stick to the current $29.95 MSRP for Munchkin Deluxe . The new printing of Munchkin Deluxe has exactly the same quality of components as Munchkin Pathfinder Deluxe .



Everyone at SJ Games is doing what we can to keep the game price points where they are, but rising manufacturing and shipping costs continue to be a factor we have to consider. When we are forced to raise prices we'll let all of you know . . . but that's not today!



(Will the plastic  Munchkin pawns ever return to store shelves? Maybe, someday. For now, we have no plans to reprint them for retail release.)



– Phil Reed



Warehouse 23 News: Red Alert! The Znutar Is Under Attack!



The Awful Green Things From Outer Space have invaded the spaceship Znutar.



Play as one of the crew or control the Awful Green Things in this wacky two-player game!



Available at Warehouse 23 .

June 3, 2014: Castellan Wins At UKGE!

We're pleased to announce that Castellan won the award for Best Abstract Game at the 2014 UK Games Expo! Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to bring this game to store shelves, and thanks to the UKGE team for the recognition!



– Andrew Hackard



Warehouse 23 News: Get The Inside Scoop!



Have you ever wanted to know what goes on at Gen-Con?



Robin D. Laws chronicled four decades of gamers to form a vast collage of the Gen Con experiences from every point of view.



40 Years of Gen Con is a treasure trove of personal interviews with game industry insiders and luminaries like Dave Arneson, E. Gary Gygax, Ed Greenwood, R. A. Salvatore, and many many others.



Available from Warehouse 23 .

May 31, 2014: Free RPG Day

Saturday, June 21st, is Free RPG Day, which has been going on since 2007. Many publishers provide quickstart versions of their game rules and distribute them through local stores on that day, so if you're looking for new stuff to play, that's a great way to sample a bunch of different systems and settings.



Many stores also run events on Free RPG Day or have games going on in-store, so if you're looking to meet new gamers, that's a good time to do so.



We encourage you to visit your FLGS and ask them about Free RPG Day support, and if you're so inclined, to run a game or two! If you need something quick and easy to run, GURPS Lite is always freely available on Warehouse 23, as well as our iconic fantasy adventure, Caravan to Ein Arris .



Happy gaming!



– Leonard Balsera



Warehouse 23 News: It's Fuzzy AND Purple!



Who said tentacles should be only green?



Have you actually met Cthulhu?



Grab a Purple Plush Tentacle exclusively from Warehouse 23 !

June 1, 2014: Crowdfunding Focus: Age Of The Tempest

As gamers, we're always looking for ways to help get new people into the hobby. Getting kids to play is super-important, not just because play is good for kids, but because it's a way to ensure our hobby has a generational cycle.



Mike Pohjola, a Finnish writer and designer, is making an RPG specifically to get today's kids interested, called Age of the Tempest . It's already been published in Finnish, but he wants to use the crowdfunding campaign to have the game localized and published in other languages.



The campaign ends June 26th, if you're interested in checking it out.



– Leonard Balsera



Warehouse 23 News: Stick Figure Mayhem!



If you're in the mood for a bloody little card game that allows you to kill off stick figures in inventive and bizarre ways, we've got you covered:  Let's Kill is exactly that game.



Your goal in  Let's Kill   is to murder as many stick figures as you can by using items such as sporks and weed whackers.



Let's Kill features distinctive stick figure art and gruesome humor, and, as you might expect given the subject matter, it is intended for mature audiences.

May 30, 2014: Munchkin Cthulhu Cursed Demo Promotion!

Occasionally, we uncover treasures while plumbing the depths of Warehouse 23.



Recently, we found some copies of our Munchkin Cthulhu Cursed Demo . Because we've never reprinted it, the promo cards from the Cursed Demo are some of the rarest Munchkin finds we know of.



What shall we do with all these rare cards, you ask?



Glad you asked! Of course, we're going to give them away.



While supplies last, starting today, all W23 orders that include any Cthulhu Dice , Munchkin Cthulhu , Plush Tentacle , or Chibithulhu will receive four different random promos from the Cursed Demo set. This is in addition to the promos we normally pack in orders.



Enjoy!



– Leonard Balsera



Warehouse 23 News: Shadows Haunted The Night...

"On Ravenwood drive when... Tom Thornbritches... with a burning vengeance... used chopsticks to impale... Penelope Pickletop."



Uncover a murder most foul by revealing six story elements that together describe the deadly deed and spell the word MURDER. But take care that your opponents can't do the same – take their letters, counter their actions, or call on a waiting Crow to influence the murder before they do!



Murder of Crows is a fast-paced card game for two to five players that's quick to learn and features atmospheric art by Dungeoneer illustrator Thomas Denmark. A session typically lasts 15 to 20 minutes, and this game is designed for ages 13 and up.