Steve Jackson's Blog, page 43

August 31, 2024: America's Finest News Source Is Most Assuredly For Sale

Long-time readers of this blog know that we've oft enjoyed satirical news site The Onion in the past. Well, they've changed hands over the years, but their current owners are doing something pretty radical: print.

For those looking to party like it's 1999 (or 1988-2013, according to their Wikipedia article), The Onion is currently selling an annual subscription (they call it a membership for reasons I'm unclear), starting at $60/year – but only through today,  August 31. (Then I think it goes up to $99.) That'll get you 12 issues of the print edition of The Onion. I've already signed up, since it seems like a cheaper and more dignified way for me to reclaim my younger glory days compared to starting a ska band.

– 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!

August 30, 2024: Celebrate GURPS' 20th Anniversary With Warlock Knight!

The 20th anniversary of GURPS Fourth Edition continues with awesome new material as our licensing partner, Gaming Ballistic, launches Warlock Knight on Kickstarter.

Warlock Knight is a programmed solitaire adventure for the Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game, Powered by GURPS . It is designed to serve as an introductory adventure, with characters starting at 150 points and growing through the adventure to approach the usual starting 250 points as presented in the Dungeon Fantasy RPG boxed set. Warlock Knight can be played with or without a GM and is extendable into an ongoing campaign. The core pledge comes with oodles of digital extras: maps, tokens, GURPS Character Sheet files, and a PDF of Quick-Reference cards for every PC, NPC, and monster in the adventure.

Much like Saethor's Bane before it, it supports and extends the Delvers to Grow modular character generation model. With it, you can create new characters in 30 minutes or less, even for brand-new players. The hardest part of point-buy character generation can be getting to the table, and between a ready-to-go solo adventure and Delvers to Grow , you can be there in less than an hour.

The campaign launches August 29 at 10am Central Time, and runs through Saturday, September 14.

– 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!

August 29, 2024: Crowdfunding Focus: Transgressive Horror Resurrected

Do you like horror movies? Do you like thinking about horror movies? Do you like reading essays about folks thinking about horror movies? Any thoughts on rhetorical questions?

Depending on your reaction to the above, you may be interested in the forthcoming book, Transgressive Horror Resurrected, currently on Kickstarter. This volume will contain at least 34 essays, each covering a different frightening film that pushed the limits of the genre. Authors come from a wide variety of experiences and backgrounds, and include some names you might recognize – such as yours truly (Steven Marsh), who you might remember from articles and essays spanning 20+ years of Pyramid magazine.

This isn't my first involvement with the book series, having contributed my not-so-random thoughts on The Game and Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie in the second volume, Subversive Sci-Fi; and another essay on Mystery Men in the third volume, Fantastic Flops. (Those books and more are also available as part of the campaign!)

So if you're curious to read insightful takes on Aliens, Little Shop of Horrors, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Godzilla Minus One, or dozens of others – including, if I dare say, a most unusual choice from me – please check out the Transgressive Horror Resurrected Kickstarter, scheduled to end on September 11. It's the right time for a fright time!

– 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!

August 28, 2024: Dragon Con Is Coming

Tomorrow (Thursday) I will fly to Atlanta for Dragon Con. This is the biggest show of my year. I'll be on several panels, will run a few games, and will be autographing at the Chicagoland Games booth. Most of this information will only be findable online. Pro tip: If you use the schedule app, try to do it before you actually go to the show, because convention scheduling apps often slow to a craaaaaaaaaaawl when a few thousand people are using them at the same time.

You might also see me at the puppet show, or the fantasy publishers get-together, or the parade (watching, not marching), or the karaoke, or . . . well, there's a whole lot of stuff at DC, okay?

– 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!

August 27, 2024: Help Support Meguey Baker

Meguey Baker is an award-winning game designer whose work includes Apocalypse World , Psi*Run , The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , Firebrands , and the Powered by the Apocalypse system. She's given a lot to the TTRPG community over the years, but now she needs our help.  Sadly, Meguey was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and is currently preparing for another round of treatments. To that end, Lumpley Games is hosting a TTRPG bundle over at DriveThruRPG (appropriately titled "Meguey Baker vs Cancer"), with proceeds going toward medical costs. The bundle itself features some great titles, including Delta Green: A Night at the Opera , Night Witches , Alice is Missing , and Apocalypse World 2nd Edition . The bundle's value is over $200, but you can pick it up for $25 while supporting a very worthwhile cause. Check out this bundle, and be sure to tell your friends about it as well.  

– Katie Duffy

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!

August 26, 2024: Woof Woof! It's National Dog Day!

They're fluffy, furry, affectionate, sweet, and, of course, endlessly faithful. They may sometimes be loud and vocal, but we still love them dearly. They're our dogs – our best friends – and today is the day to celebrate them! Beginning in 2004, National Dog Day has been observed annually on August 26th, just after the dog days of summer.  If you're looking for a way to incorporate pups into your gaming life, you'll want to check out our several dog-themed offerings.  Want to let the dogs out? Roll your Puppy d6 Dice Set , which comes with 12 adorable dice designed by the talented Katie Cook! Are 12 not enough? Grab 36 in the Puppy d6 Litter Set !  Munchkin fans will enjoy adding 30 unique Munchkin Puppies cards to their favorite base set. They pair fantastically with the stand-alone Munchkin Tails game, which features 168. Go up a level with Catch Your Tail, but don't get cursed, or you'll have to wear the dreaded Cone of Shame and lose a level! Dog-themed games and accessories aren't the only way to honor your fluffy little friends. You might consider making a donation to two great causes that support dogs and other animals.  Austin Pets Alive! is a rescue organization local to our headquarters, and we love to support them. They also offer options to be a hero by adopting or fostering their amazing animals.  The Saving Huey Foundation, based in Southern California, is my personal favorite. They rehabilitate dogs with special needs, many of which are found on the streets of Tijuana. You can learn more about their mission by visiting their website or by following their adorable pup, Kringle, at Kringle's Crew on social media. Happy Dog Day! 

– 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!

August 25, 2024: What's That On The Viewscreen?!

According to an article on CNN, an interstellar object is moving so fast that it might escape the Milky Way for points beyond. Oh, and scientists aren't sure what it is.

If any of you running GURPS Space campaigns make use of this incredibly timely ready-to-explore plot hook, let me know what your gaming table finds on the forums, eh?

– 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!

August 24, 2024: Water Park Memories

Slipping, sliding, and splashing. For many, childhood summers spent at water parks are fond memories. As a Texan transplanted from Pennsylvania, I know there are few better ways to cool off from May to September than floating down a lazy river at Six Flags or your Favorite Local Water Park. Looking out of Texas and into the swampy lands of Orlando, Florida – did you know that the Walt Disney World resort is home to not one, but two epic water parks?  Before I speak about them, I must acknowledge the much-loved water wonderland, River Country, that is now defunct and has been abandoned since 2001. Nothing could beat a day there – swimming just off the shore of Bay Lake in clean-water pools, riding through the White Water Rapids, and dropping rapidly down the Slippery Slide Falls. Alas, it is no longer a part of the 43 square miles of Disney property, and long-time fans miss it dearly.  On to the present – Blizzard Beach opened in 1995 and is themed, rather hilariously, to a ski resort in the northern United States in winter! It is home to tons of fun water attractions, including one of the fastest, tallest water slides in the world: Summit Plummet. (Confession time: Though I have experienced every ride, show, character greeting, and attraction at all six Disney World parks, I have never been brave enough to conquer this 120+ foot monstrosity.) While it opened many years before Blizzard Beach and is not the newest in the area, Typhoon Lagoon is considered by most to be the best water park in Central Florida. One of the coolest events on property is the H2O Glow Nights After Hours Party. Water parks in general tend to close at dusk, but this special evening lets guests stay until 11:00 pm, thereby avoiding the blistering heat of 100+ degree days. There is only one month left this year to experience the nighttime sliding, dance parties, specialty foods, and meetings with characters wearing their beach best. I'll be there on August 31st and can't wait to share a Beachcomber Shack with my friends. Do you have a favorite water park? Let us hear about it in the forums!  Pro tip: don't forget your sunscreen!

– 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!

August 23, 2024: It's A GURPS Anniversary SALE-ebration!

If you've checked out the Daily Illuminator recently, you know that GURPS Fourth Edition is 20 years old this month. We celebrated with a lot of cake, and once we recovered from our frosting-induced frenzies, we realized we should extend the celebration to you. And what better way than with a sale? (Here is where the editor idly wonders why she wasn't offered any cake.)

Right at this very minute1, hundreds of GURPS items are on sale for 20% off – as well as GURPS- related items like the  Dungeon Fantasy Roleplaying Game and Pyramid magazine. (20 years, 20% off . . . get it?!)

If you're new to GURPS , this is the perfect opportunity to pick up the two-volume GURPS Basic Set , with all the rules you need to craft the character of your dreams and start adventuring in the world.

For those who who already love the system, now's a great time to save big on award-winning supplements like GURPS Social Engineering , fan favorites like How to Be a GURPS GM , meaty core books like GURPS Fantasy or GURPS Space , and so many more.

Even if you're not playing GURPS currently, many of the supplements are incredibly useful for other games. Try the informative  GURPS Hot Spots series or the genre advice of GURPS Mysteries  for starters.

Look, I can't type them all; I said there were hundreds! Just click the link to head over to Warehouse 23 and celebrate with us. Also, if you're buying cake, you totally have our permission to enjoy a second slice.

– Steven Marsh

1. And by "right this very minute," I really only mean "if you read this Daily Illuminator post by August 29," 'cause that's when the sale ends.

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!

August 22, 2024: Compared To The 1980s, Games Are Cheap!

One thing I appreciate more as I've gotten older is the embarrassment of riches I get from all avenues of gaming. The classic computer game Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar cost $59.95 at its time of release in 1985, which – according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index inflation calculator – has the same buying power as about $174 today.

While researching Ultima IV , I came across this quote from Dragon Magazine #110, in their "new" column devoted to computer gaming: "There is a great deal of difference between paying around $8 for a game module or, say, $20 for a new boxed game and laying out $39 to $59 for a computer game."

That was the June 1986 issue, but those numbers are ludicrously close to modern prices in a lot of ways, especially with digital distribution. Can I interest you in a copy of (say) Dungeon Fantasy: The Devil's Workshop for $6? Or perhaps  Munchkin Lite or Munchkin Spell Skool for $19.95? Until very recently, $59.95 was the default price for new video-game releases . . . and of course, thousands of top-tier games are available constantly for much less.

Obviously you can spend a bunch of money on games. But compared to a few decades ago? It's amazing how wildly affordable our fun hobby is.

– 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!