Steve Jackson's Blog, page 422

April 29, 2014: Scott Haring Returns To Car Wars

I can't help thinking about Al Pacino in Godfather 3 , who famously said, "Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in." But here I am. SJ Games has decided to relaunch Car Wars , and they reached out to me and asked me to come back and be in charge of it. I couldn't say no.



For all you pre-Millennials out there, you may remember that I was Car Wars Line Editor back in the early days, way back in the . . . well, let's just say it was a long time ago. But much fun was had, and I remember my autoduelling days fondly.



And now I'm back! What does that mean, exactly? When SJ Games launched the amazing Ogre Designer's Edition campaign on Kickstarter, one of the stretch goals was a promise to produce a Kickstarter-backed edition of Car Wars . I will be working with the Kickstarter contributors in moving Car Wars into the 21st century of game design and the 22nd century of game worlds. (And what does that mean? Stay tuned and find out.)



The first step will be a re-release later this year of Car Wars Classic and the Mini Car Wars starter pack while I begin the design and playtesting process on the new(est) edition. I will, of course, also be working with Phil Reed and maybe even Steve hisownself, when they have contributions to make. And I will be keeping the fans informed and listening to what they have to say. All that's left to say is . . . Drive Offensively!



– Scott Haring



Warehouse 23 News: Build Character, With GURPS



GURPS guru Sean Punch shares his character-building expertise with GURPS Template Toolkit 1: Characters , showing you how to build templates and heroes that fill their niche. Download it now, exclusively from Warehouse 23!

April 30, 2014: Announcing Munchkin Princesses

Coming in August!

Munchkin Princesses



Princess Power!



Join the ranks of royalty . . . then go right back to killing monsters and taking their stuff. In style. We're putting the rage in peerage! Munchkin Princesses : all the noblesse, none of the oblige.



– Brian Engard



 



Warehouse 23 News: Cults, Churches, And Cabals



Even in a world overflowing with magic, the mark of the gods is unmistakable.



Penumbra: Touched by the Gods has in-depth information on every cult and secret society as well as new deities and the NPCs that would wield their power.



Grab a copy of this D20 fantasy roleplaying game supplement from Warehouse 23 today!

April 27, 2014: Warehouse 23 Turns 15!

Warehouse 23 is turning 15 this year! In celebration of being considered a slightly older minor in the eyes of the law, we're putting all Steve Jackson Games stuff on W23 (both physical and electronic) on sale! From April 27th to May 3rd, all Steve Jackson Games merchandise will be 23% off on Warehouse 23. Not only that, but everything Atlas Games has on Warehouse 23 will share in the discount!



 



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: California, Here You Come!



The western states have never been so dangerous – or awesome – thanks to AADA Road Atlas V2: The West Coast . This classic supplement for Car Wars and GURPS Autoduel  gives you the edge you need to make it along the Pacific coast. Download it now as a PDF, only from Warehouse 23!

April 26, 2014: A Pyramid So Meaty And Mighty, There Ought To Be A Law!

Unleash your inner power, true believers . . . but do so carefully, for your magic tampers with the laws of the universe. Such are the eldritch energies explored by Pyramid #3/66: The Laws of Magic , the latest issue of Pyramid that looks at matters magical through a lens of bringing order from chaos.



This issue's most senses-shattering feature – one of the biggest pieces we've ever had in Pyramid – is an optional expansion for GURPS Thaumatology: Ritual Path Magic that combines Ritual Path magic with other GURPS systems, including Book magic, Divine Favor, effect shaping, and much more. In addition, this Pyramid includes optional rules for specialized Ritual Path mages from that supplement's author, Jason "PK" Levine.



But that's not all! Pyramid #3/66 also features Sean "Kromm" Punch's alternative enchantment system that will let you create enchanted items faster than ever before in GURPS . . . provided you go on adventures to accumulate appropriately awesome accoutrements. And there's still more glittering greatness here: new Book magic from David L. Pulver, an update of the mass-production enchantment system from GURPS Technomancer , and other arcane articles. This issue of Pyramid lays down the law like never before. Pick it up individually, or start your subscription today for many more months of magic.



– Steven Marsh



Warehouse 23 News: Wisdom Is Mightier Than The Sword



Ars Magica: The Medieval Handbook is a sourcebook on Europe of the 12th century, written by a monk who offers his perspective on the society and culture of the Middle Ages.



Particularly valuable to players of Ars Magica , this book presents the Hermetic perspective on Mythic Europe's society and culture.



Grab a copy from Warehouse 23 today!

April 25, 2014: Alliance Southwest Game Gathering

If you're in the game industry and want to learn more about upcoming Steve Jackson Games goodies, then you should come to the Alliance Southwest Game Gathering! Not only will Randy Scheunemann be giving a "What's New at Steve Jackson Games!" presentation, we'll also be running demos of Mars Attacks – The Dice Game .



The Gathering happens on Thursday, May 8th from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and you can find us here:



Hilton Austin Downtown
500 E. 4th Street
Room 406
Austin, TX 78701



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: Be Part Of The Alternative GURPS Scene



Pyramid #3/65: Alternate GURPS III offers bold new options for character creation, firearm skills, natural weapons, teaming up, and more. Get it now, only from Warehouse 23.

April 24, 2014: Quest Night

Lenny, Miranda, and I went to Quest Night this past weekend with my wife Nicole and my friend Mike (and one random stranger, to make a group of six).



Let me back up a bit and tell you what Quest Night is. I'm going to assume you're familiar with the idea of a dungeon crawl (if you're not, check out GURPS Dungeon Fantasy ), your characters going from room to room exterminating monsters and picking up loot along the way. Quest Night is like that, except that you and your party aren't sitting around a table. You're actually in the dungeon, solving puzzles, bypassing traps, moving from room to room, killing monsters, and taking their stuff. Quest Night's sets are elaborate and detailed, the monsters are well-costumed, and the fights are a lot of fun. (No, you don't actually hit people; you stand at a table, the monsters opposite you, and roll giant foam dice while you and the monsters hurl taunts at each other.)



The best part? All of the proceeds that don't cover overhead go to breast cancer research! Oh, and did I mention that it's running again this weekend? If you're in or near Manor, Texas (or willing to fly in for a weekend), I recommend checking Quest Night out. It surpassed all of my expectations.



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: Cthulhu Wants You...



...to buy him before July 4th!



Get your Chibithulhu Plush (July 4th) with its huge, adorable eyes, a red-white-and-blue Uncle Sam hat, and a firecracker on its chest.



Of course, this toy includes a special rule, which will help you during Munchkin Cthulhu games.



Available from Warehouse 23 .

April 23, 2014: Supporting Erfworld

I've been a fan of Rob Balder's Erfworld since it launched. If you like comics, and have not encountered Erfworld , you should click over there and start at the beginning, but you'll have to make a Will roll at a large penalty to avoid the compulsion to just keep reading until you're up to date. I don't want to spoil, so I'll just say that it involves a world with very gamelike physics and a cast of characters that invites comparison to Game of Thrones (equally scary politics in a gamelike frame, equally complex plot, higher body count, less on-screen nookie, and much more frequent updates ). Plus a great deal of wordplay.



Rob has a Kickstarter going (almost over, so if you like Erfworld, do not hang back and think about it . . . go support now!) It's already reached its goal plus some stretches, so the comic will continue through another book, and the hardcover release of that book will be very nice indeed.



I read this strip regularly, and sometimes lurk on the forums and enjoy the fan speculations about what happens next. Erfworld has entertained me for years, and I want that to continue. So . . . I supported at the top level, which incidentally means that at some point there will be a multi-page story built around a character not entirely unlike me.



This is part of the continuing effort to plow some  Munchkin money back into geekdom, and Rob Balder has responded by suggesting that one of the Erfworld artists can do something original for an Erfworld-referencing Munchkin card. Awesomeness begets awesomeness begets awesomeness!



So that's what I did today to justify my existence. To repeat the plug: Read the strip, if you haven't, and if you like it, go support the Kickstarter.



– Steve Jackson



Warehouse 23 News: The Future Is Now. No Wait, Now. Dang... It's Now...



Live dangerously, like it's 2038, with Uncle Albert's 2038 Catalog Update . This digital reprint of a classic futuristic supplement includes new offensive, defensive, and personal equipment. Great gear is only a download away, from Warehouse 23!

April 22, 2014: Gaming In Libraries: International Game Day

Did you know that most libraries have board games? And did you know that they often run events where you can play these games? Well, it doesn't stop there! The American Library Association runs a yearly event called International Game Day, an event where libraries all over the world open their doors to let people learn and play board games. And guess what? We're sponsoring it this year! 



International Game Day takes place November 15th, 2014.



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: Add Some Enchantment To Your Game



In Once Upon a Time , players tell a story together using cards that show fairytale elements and endings.



Now you can add more magic to your game with cards inspired by Cinderella and Snow White.



Grab a copy of Once Upon a Time: Echanting Tales from Warehouse 23 today!

April 20, 2014: Walking And Gaming – Are We There Yet?

As I've discussed twice previously, my wife (international Woman of Mystery and Doc Savage fan Nikki Vrtis), myself, and our seven-year-old son frequently take walks. When we do, we like to pass the time by coming up with games we can play while trudging hither and yon.



Although we've started trying to introduce 20 Questions to our son, he gets frustrated by it; I don't think he quite gets it yet. ("Okay; I'm thinking of an animal. What's your first question?" "Uhh . . . is it a poodle?" "Try to think of a more general question, son." "Oh. Is it a dog?") Plus, the imposition of a 20-question limit gives him decision paralysis, even though we've never stuck to it.



Still, he's been a bit more interested in what are called "lateral-thinking puzzles," which poses an impossible – or at least odd – situation, and challenges players to come up with yes/no questions to figure out what happened. Whoever is posing the question can provide whatever honest answers are helpful, but the most common responses our puzzlers tend to use are "Yes," "No," "Irrelevant," and "I can't answer that"/"Rephrase the question." Classic examples include:



"A man is found dead at a table, surrounded by 53 bicycles. What happened?"


"A naked man is found alone in the desert, dead, holding a match. What happened?"


"Betty is dead on the floor in a room next to a baseball and a puddle of water. What happened?"
Even though they're all hoary and ancient, they're new to our seven-year-old! Since we allow an unlimited number of questions, I don't think he gets as stressed.



So the next time you're walking with friends – or perhaps waiting in an endless line at a huge gaming convention – whip out one of these games and kill some time while having fun. And if anyone needs the answers to the above to inflict on their victi- err, player(s), just post to the forums and I – or another random forum friend – will help you out.



– Steven Marsh



Warehouse 23 News: Be A Letter Head!



Letter Head is a dynamic word-forming card game that's engaging, interactive, challenging, addictive, and above all, fun.



But Letter Head isn't just one card game - it's an expandable game kit. The game includes rules for fourteen additional games that you can play with the 124-card deck.



Available at Warehouse 23 .

April 21, 2014: Now In Stores April 21!

Check out the stuff that's in stores as of today!

Munchkin Journal Pack 1



Chronicle all your adventures, secret plots, and laundry lists in the Munchkin Journals ! Three pocket journals, one each with a cover from Munchkin, Star Munchkin, and Munchkin Cthulhu . Plus a new Munchkin card!



+6 Bag o' Munchkin Zombies



Show off your brain-eating munchkinosity in style! Use these six Munchkin zombie pawns in your Munchkin games . . . or in any game! Use them to mark your place, and get some special munchkiny benefits while you're at it. Based on the Munchkin Zombies illustrations by John Kovalic.


Munchkin Zombies 4: Spare Parts



Once More Unto The Brain, Dear Friends



The undead munchkins return once more in this 56-card expansion for Munchkin Zombies , with a bunch of new ways to get those pesky survivors and eat their braaaaaaaiiiins! Take on a new Power, Solo, and show the other zombies on the block who's boss. Pick up the Spare Parts and Bowling Gloves and take on Your Ex-Roommate! Get Your Second Wind so you can defeat the formidable Surgeon General, but make sure you don't get hit with Curse: Dead Heat!



This is an expansion for Munchkin Zombies . It is not a stand-alone game.



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: It's Fuzzy AND Purple!



Who said tentacles should only be green?



Have you actually met Cthulhu?



Grab a Purple Plush Tentacle exclusively from Warehouse 23 !