Steve Jackson's Blog, page 426

March 20, 2014: The Munchkin Tavern Returns

Remember the Munchkin Tavern last year at Gen Con? We got together, had some drinks, ate some food, killed some monsters . . . ah, good times. Well, we had so much fun doing the Tavern last year that we decided to do it again this year! We're upping our game a bit this year though; we're doing the Munchkin Tavern at both Gen Con and Origins this year. Also look at this! No spoilers! So join us at Origins, from the 11th to the 14th of June! (Details on Gen Con to come.)



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: Practice GURPS Magic In Style!



GURPS Magical Styles: Dungeon Magic has seven new magical styles from the quill of Sean Punch. Forge weapons of war with the Guild of Iron Mages, make things go boom with the Order of the Sun, or alter reality with the Wizards of the Mirrored Gaze. Be warned, seekers of truth: these previously unrevealed truths are only available at Warehouse 23!

March 19, 2014: Announcing Munchkin Panic!

Fireside Games is proud to announce the next game release in their expanding line of board games, Munchkin Panic , to hit stores in Fall 2014. Munchkin Panic is a new, semi-cooperative board game designed by Anne-Marie De Witt that blends the all-for-one gameplay of Castle Panic (Justin De Witt, Fireside Games, 2009) and the all-for-me style of Munchkin (Steve Jackson, Steve Jackson Games, 2001). The game supports 1 to 6 players ages 10 and up and will retail for $39.95.



In this new hybrid game the Munchkin Monsters have found the Castle Panic Towers and are on the rampage! Players combine cards to hit and slay the Monsters before they destroy the Castle. The new card combos available in Munchkin Panic are created from a unique mixing of the decks of the two source games. Each defeated Monster becomes a Trophy and gives up its Treasure to the victor. If players work together to defeat the Monsters, the player with the highest point count becomes Master Munchkin. But players must balance their self-interest with the cooperation necessary to survive. If players get too greedy, the Monsters will stomp the Castle flat while the players are too busy fighting!



About Fireside Games



Fireside Games, based in Austin, Texas, was formed in 2007 by Justin and Anne-Marie De Witt, who believe in creating fun, innovative, and accessible board games that appeal to everyone. Justin is the primary game designer, artist, graphic designer, and manufacturing coordinator for Fireside Games. Anne-Marie oversees business operations, provides additional game development and design, and is the primary editor for Fireside Games. Previously published games are Castle Panic (September 2009), Bloodsuckers (August 2011), Bears! (September 2011), The Wizard's Tower (November 2012), and Dead Panic (October 2013).



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: Look What We Found!



A special treat for Munchkin fans everywhere, the Warehouse 23 Exclusive 2010 Booster !



Only available at Warehouse 23.

March 18, 2014: Celebrate Spring With A Classic Catalog Of Carnage

The roads are thawing, and there are bigger dangers than potholes! Car Wars fans, rejoice: Newly released in digital form, Uncle Albert's 2038 Catalog Update is a collection collection of over 70 items perfect for offensive, defensive, and personal needs. Get it today, from Warehouse 23 . . . and drive like there's no tomorrow!



– Steven Marsh



Warehouse 23 News: Get Dressed In The Wild



The natural world teems with life . . . and excitement! GM's Miscellany: Wilderness Dressing presents 20 different milieus and encounter types you can spice up with the roll of a few dice. Make your hills, swamps, woodlands, and more come alive like never before. These downloads await intrepid explorers who visit Warehouse 23.

March 17, 2014: Announcements for June and July

There's a bunch of stuff we'd like to announce for release in June and July. Ready? Good!

Munchkin Board of Health



It's a gameboard for Munchkin Cthulhu and Munchkin Zombies – a dungeon room for every level, plus spaces for the decks and discards, so you can instantly see who's surging ahead recklessly and who's hanging back to eat your brains. Includes two sets of male/female tokens in six colors, and matching colored markers with special in-game bonuses for each player! And you get eight brand-new cards, four for Munchkin Cthulhu and four for Munchkin Zombies !


Ogre Pocket Edition



The giant tank rumbles toward its target . . . its guns are destroyed, its movement crippled, but only a few defenders are left. Will they stop the robot juggernaut, or will it crush the Command Post beneath its gigantic treads?



Ogre was Steve Jackson's first game. First released in 1977, it set a new standard for fast, exciting boardgame play. Over 25 years after its release, Ogre earned a spot in James Lowder's popular book Hobby Games: The 100 Best.



In 2012, Steve Jackson Games launched the "Designer's Edition" of Ogre on Kickstarter. . . a 24-pound box with giant maps and several hundred counters, retailing for $100.



Now Ogre Pocket Edition takes the game back to its roots. A small rulebook, 140 counters, and the same bare-bones map Steve drew himself for the very first printing. And the price is the same as it was in 1977: $2.95. ($2.95 in 1977 dollars translates to be over $10 today when adjusted for inflation; this is Steve's way of saying 'thank you' for your support for Ogre over the last three decades.)



Despite its "pocket" size, Ogre Pocket Edition will have more than enough counters to play all five of the "Ogre vs. Command Post" scenarios. It includes two different conventional forces (a Black force and a White force), with a whopping eight White Howitzers! That's a whole lot of gameplay for $2.95.


Munchkin Legends 2 – Faun and Games Did You Myth Us?



Faun and Games adds 56 more cards to the Munchkin mythology. You can use the Spear of Density to fight J.R.R. Trollkin, or fend off the Wendigo with your Hell Toupee. Play a new Race, the Faun, and caper out of danger . . . or into it!


Hipster Dice



Based on the underground German phenomenon, Nichteinechteswürfelspiel , and updated with vintage rules, Hipster Dice is poised to be the perfect game to play while you're waiting in line at the second-hand clothes store. Get it before it's cool.




– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: Welcome To Al Amarja!



A mysterious Mediterranean island, home to all that is sinister and bizarre.



If it troubles your dreams, if it scares you, if you hope it isn't true . . . you'll find it here.



Get your copy of Over The Edge from Warehouse 23.

March 15, 2014: Get The Esoterrorists Free On W23

Do you like saving the world from cosmic horror? Allow me to introduce you to The Esoterrorists , by Pelgrane Press.



The barrier between our world and the world where horrific supernatural entities exist is thin. There are people – the eponymous esoterrorists – who want to make that barrier thinner, weakening it to the point where these cosmic horrors have access to our dimension. Humanity's collective denial of the existence of the supernatural powers that barrier. The esoterrorists plot ways to bring the supernatural out into the open in ways that humanity can no longer deny. The stronger humanity's belief in cosmic horror, the more likely cosmic horror will come home to roost.



On the other side is the Ordo Veritatis, an organization dedicated to saving the world by reinforcing humanity's collective denial. They seek out the events that the esoterrorists perpetrate and cover them up, disguising them as events that normal people can just rationalize away.



Sound interesting? From March 15th to 30th, anyone who places an order of $25 or more worth of Warehouse 23 goods can use the promo code 'PELGRANE25' to get a free PDF of the first edition of The Esoterrorists , courtesy of Pelgrane Press!



What are you waiting for? Go get your copy!



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: Bloggers, Webcams, And Bird Flu...



Oh My!



Can you survive the 21st Century in Illuminati ?



Bavarian Fire Drill has all that and more for the conspiracy fan in us all.



Get your copy from Warehouse 23.

March 16, 2014: Review Roundup

We've got more reviews for you!



Cody over at Deseret News took a look at Ogre Designer's Edition and gave us his thoughts!



Check out this review of Castellan Tiago Roque. Warning: it's in Portuguese. And speaking of Castellan , here's another review in both English and Czech.



Not a review as such, but over at BGG they're talking about the Ogre Kickstarter.



And finally, a trio of overview videos in German about Castellan , Dino Hunt Dice , and Chupacabra: Survive The Night .



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: Set Phasers To Fun



What's that off the starboard bow? Warehouse 23!

March 14, 2014: Cracking The Voynich Manuscript

For reasons that I hope are obvious, we're fans of ancient, obscure texts around here.



The Voynich Manuscript has puzzled many a scholar and fan of High Weirdness since 1912. Some have labeled it an elaborate hoax, because of how thoroughly it has resisted attempts to decipher it. Now a professor at the University of Bedfordshire in England may finally have found the key to cracking it.



The Secret Masters disavow any responsibility for what may follow.



– Leonard Balsera



Warehouse 23 News: Out Of The Frying Panopticon . . .



The Sinking: Locks of the Panopticon puts the heroes on the path to open the way to the fabled Panopticon, as the second season of the The Sinking, Campaign Serial enters its final installments. The adventure awaits your download, at Warehouse 23!

March 13, 2014: Meet Us At The GAMA Trade Show Next Week

Retailers, if you're visiting the GAMA Trade Show in Las Vegas next week please don't miss the Steve Jackson Games presentation on Tuesday, March 18 at both 1 pm and 4 pm (check the show schedule for the complete list of presentations). John Kovalic, Munchkin artist and creator of Dork Tower , will join me for the presentations where we'll talk about our fantastic Munchkin plans for 2014, including the upcoming release of Munchkin Legends to the hobby market, the status of  Munchkin Apocalypse 2 , and maybe a surprise or two.



During the presentations, in addition to Munchkin,  I'll also cover our non- Munchkin plans for 2014 (some of which you may have seen teased at BoardGameGeek a few weeks ago).



And then on Wednesday, March 19 at 6 pm, join me; our Director of Sales, Ross Jepson; and our Events Director, Kali Dugan, for gaming during the GAMA Games Night. I fully expect we'll play Castellan  and  Zombie Dice (including the upcoming expansion, Zombie Dice 3 ), and I plan to pull out Mars Attacks – The Dice Game for a round or two. I would bring Hipster Dice along . . . but you've probably never heard of it.



I hope we see you in Vegas next week!



– Phil Reed



Warehouse 23 News: Chivalry Is Alive!



In the new Once Upon A Time: Knightly Tales .



Inspired by valorous tales of the knights of old and their ladies.



Available at Warehouse 23.

March 11, 2014: Munchkin Icon Patches

The bad news: we forgot to announce these. The good news: you can buy them right now!





Munchkin Icon Patch



It's a Munchkin patch for the minimalist crowd!

Official Rules



1. The Munchkin Patch must be sewn to a visible article of clothing you are wearing. Just having the patch confers no bonus!



2. Once per game, when another player uses a Curse, Trap, or Disaster on you, you may reflect it back at him by saying "No, don't throw me into that ol' Munchkin Patch!" You must brandish your Munchkin Patch at him as you say this.



3. If you have different styles of Munchkin Patch , you can use each patch once. Multiple copies of the same patch do not give you extra uses!



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: Loose Your Mind Your Way...



With 12 different colors of Cthulhu Dice .



We've got Sparkly Pink, Ichor Green and more sanity blasting colors for you!



Available at Warehouse 23 .

March 12, 2014: Castellan In Stop Motion

Have you been curious about Castellan but were holding off until you got to see it played? Well, NinjaZach and Tox over at Crits Happen have you covered with this fantastic stop-motion video of a Castellan game from start to finish. Go check it out, and remember that you can play that game with three or four players when you also pick up Castellan International Edition !



– Brian Engard



Warehouse 23 News: Old-School "Planking"!



Live as a pirate like never before as you plunder the seas, dungeons, and even skies! Pyramid #3/64: Pirates and Swashbucklers includes a cargo hold full of great articles and add-ons. Set sail with this issue alone, or subscribe today for months of adventure . . . only at Warehouse 23!