Steve Jackson's Blog, page 46

August 1, 2024: Car Wars Orange/Purple – Pre-Orders Live Now!

Accelerate your game night with Car Wars Orange/Purple , the newest addition to the Car Wars Sixth Edition universe!

In the arenas of the future, circa 2070, autoduelling has become the most popular sport in America. Players customize their cars and crew and then compete to sabotage each other using weapons, hazards, barriers, and more to cause wrecks and dominate the road.

Car Wars Orange/Purple is a streamlined two-player starter set that includes two pre-assembled, unpainted minis: Sawtooth and Pure Energy. The bases and dashboards are orange and purple, and in the box you'll find four counter sheets with dashboard sliders, barrier and wreck tokens, 20 dice in various colors, two turning keys, and other assorted tokens. Each player receives 50 build cards and an additional 32 cards that add exciting elements to your game.

The rulebook features a sample car build along with hints to get started on your first game, and the back cover has all-new quick-reference material as well!

This set can be combined with Car Wars Blue/Green or Car Wars Red/Yellow for even bigger autoduelling battles.

Race over to Warehouse 23 to pre-order your copy. Or you can ask your Friendy Local Game Store to order it for you!

Start your motors!

– Michelle Richardson

Warehouse 23 News: Why Is The Darkness Blinking?

They're trapped between the realm of the living and the dead . . . and they're not too pleased about it. The Book of Unlife adds 44 unliving monsters to your The Fantasy Trip campaigns, along with a complete adventure setting. Live like there's too many tomorrows thanks to Warehouse 23!

August 2, 2024: Part 3: The Heart Of Steve Jackson Games – Our Team

At Steve Jackson Games, our success is driven by an exceptional team of talented and passionate individuals. I am constantly inspired by their creativity, dedication, and collaborative spirit. It is their hard work and enthusiasm that bring our games to life and allow us to continue delivering experiences that delight players around the world. Allison, our Managing Editor, is the wizard behind the curtain who makes sure everything runs smoothly. She oversees our game designers, ensuring that every project aligns with Steve's and my vision. Her meticulous attention to detail and background as a writer are invaluable as we develop new titles and expand existing ones. Allison's leadership in managing our release schedule is critical to our ability to consistently bring fresh content to our fans. Sabrina, our Production Manager, is a cornerstone of our operation. From coordinating manufacturing to managing logistics, she ensures that our games are produced efficiently and to the highest quality standards. Her problem-solving skills and ability to keep multiple projects on track are nothing short of impressive. Katie and Michelle are two of our newest team members, and they have already made a significant impact. Their expertise in marketing and social media is helping us reach new audiences and engage with our community in exciting ways. They bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas that are essential as we navigate the ever-changing landscape of digital communication. Darryll, Nicole, James, Revka, Jimmie, and Brandon – our entire support staff keeps things running behind the scenes. You may not hear about them as often as you do our front-facing team, but the work they do is essential to the entire Steve Jackson Games operation. A special thank you goes to Susan, whose countless years with the company have been instrumental in keeping us organized and running smoothly. Her institutional knowledge and unwavering commitment to Steve Jackson Games are deeply appreciated. Susan's role may often be behind the scenes, but her contributions are at the forefront of our success. Of course, I must also recognize our talented game designers and layout artists. Their creativity and passion for game design are the heart and soul of what we do. Each game they create is a testament to their skill and dedication, and I am constantly amazed by their ability to craft experiences that captivate and entertain. And finally, Steve himself. Being able to work with a legend, with his wealth of knowledge and experience in this industry – well, I joke this is sometimes the best paid internship ever! I'm very grateful for his trust in my ability to lead his company to the next stage. Together, our team is a family. We support each other, challenge each other, and celebrate each other's successes. It is this sense of community and shared purpose that makes Steve Jackson Games a special place to work. I am incredibly proud to lead such an extraordinary group of people.

– Meredith Placko

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 1, 2024: Car Wars Orange/Purple – Available For Pre-Order Today!

Accelerate your game night with Car Wars Orange/Purple , the newest addition to the Car Wars Sixth Edition universe!

In the arenas of the future, circa 2070, autoduelling has become the most popular sport in America. Players customize their cars and crew and then compete to sabotage each other using weapons, hazards, barriers, and more to cause wrecks and dominate the road.

Car Wars Orange/Purple is a streamlined two-player starter set that includes two pre-assembled, unpainted minis: Sawtooth and Pure Energy. The bases and dashboards are orange and purple, and in the box you'll find four counter sheets with dashboard sliders, barrier and wreck tokens, 20 dice in various colors, two turning keys, and other assorted tokens. Each player receives 50 build cards and an additional 32 cards that add exciting elements to your game.

The rulebook features a sample car build along with hints to get started on your first game, and the back cover has all-new quick-reference material as well!

This set can be combined with Car Wars Blue/Green or Car Wars Red/Yellow for even bigger autoduelling battles.

Race over to Warehouse 23 to pre-order your copy. This is brand new, remember, and we expect the link to go live about 10:00 Texas time. Or you can ask your Friendy Local Game Store to order it for you!

Start your motors!

– 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!

July 31, 2024: Questions Three: Will Schoonover

To die-hard Munchkin fans, kicking down doors and looting treasures may seem easy, but that's because a lot of folks work behind the scenes to make everything work (and play!) as well as possible. One such mastermind is Munchkin Line Editor Will Schoonover, whose name you've seen on countless projects at Steve Jackson Games, including Munchkin Snakes , Munchkin Rats , and Munchkin Pony Excess , to name a few from this year alone.

Will graciously took a few moments from plotting future mirth and mayhem to answer a few questions for this installment of Questions Three.

What's your favorite card/set/mechanic you've devised for Munchkin?

I've been a fan of the Warhammer 40,000 setting for more than 30 years. It was great to add something to the Munchkin side of the setting. As a bonus, my first set for the brand was a Dungeon set, so I got to add a pile of iconic planets to the game and figure out how their identities would manifest in a game of Munchkin .

Suppose someone is planning an evening of Munchkin and wants a thematic mix of sets or expansions. Any suggestions for a fun tour?

With the current buzz in the RPG space, a fun take on modern dungeon crawling would be to start with Munchkins & Mazes , then throw in Druids and a smattering of smaller animal-themed expansions like Squids , Rats , Snakes , and Pony Excess .

Do you have a favorite Munchkin moment/anecdote as a player?

My favorite Munchkin moment was not in a game I took part in, but I have never seen it topped. I came across a group playing at the first PAX West I attended. They were resolving a card that let the player who rolled the highest die choose something. After everyone else had rolled, the owner of the game rolled their die on top of the box lid and declared that since it was higher above the surface of the table, it was undeniably the "highest roll."

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Having revealed a moment so pure it nigh-stunned the humble interviewer, Will returned to his dungeon of devious designs, continuing to put in motion more opportunities for Munchkin players to enact perfidious plots and future fun.

– Will Schoonover, interviewed by 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!

July 30, 2024: Not Everyone Is Fred

Even for those who prefer to develop roleplaying stories on the fly, this handy tip is quick to set up, is useful in any session, and can save time at the table: Come up with a handful of names (and maybe vague character descriptions) before starting a game. Don't assign them to anyone; just have them handy.

If you have a list at the ready, then when the players go somewhere unexpected or undefined – a tavern, a specialty shop, a minor noble's hunting estate – you have a menu you can pick from: "Ah-HAH! That sounds like a good barkeep name." It'll help avoid duplication and homogeny, giving a nice variety while also speeding up gameplay.

If you want to be clever, you can divide them according to how each one would be useful: "Older character names," "Elven names," "Stage names," and so on. But, honestly, I've found just having any such list makes more improv-style games a lot smoother.

– 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!

July 29, 2024: What's Your Gen Con Playlist?

Gen Con is upon us! Aaahhh! By this time next week, most of the Steve Jackson Games crew will (hopefully) be in Indianapolis for the "Best Four Days In Gaming," having flown in for the event. In contrast, I'll be driving in – I live just close enough that flying to Indianapolis would most likely involve a connection and some unnecessary traveling time. I don't mind it. I'm not a huge fan of flying, and the time spent in my car allows for the feel of a mini road trip. And one of the best parts of road tripping is listening to awesome stuff. During my very first trip to Gen Con, my husband and I kept ourselves amused (and educated) by listening to Hardcore History's The Wrath of the Khans , a multi-part series in which host Dan Carlin offered an incisive look at the history of the Mongol Empire. Last year, we listened to several episodes of Noctivagant  (in between film scores and some 90s favorites). This year, I'm toying with the idea of curating a playlist we can listen to in between podcast episodes, though that will all depend on how much time I have to prepare.  Are you driving to Gen Con or another convention this year? If so, what will you listen to to keep your spirits and senses up during the drive? Tell us about it over on the forums!

– 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!

July 28, 2024: The Newest In Old-School Fun – Hexagram #13 On Kickstarter!

Who says 13 is an unlucky number? (Okay, maybe we do, sometimes . . .) But not today! Triskaidekaphobes notwithstanding, this is a fortuitous day for The Fantasy Trip heroes, with the advent of Hexagram #13, now on Kickstarter!

Since this latest issue is already funded, it's definitely happening! Within its 40 pages of zine-y goodness, backers will get a challenging adventure, optional rules, ready-to-use wizards, new fiction, and more. Details and sneak peeks are on the Kickstarter page – far more than a humble Daily Illuminator  post can provide.

If you're totally new to The Fantasy Trip or need to catch up on some recent releases, we're offering those there, too. No matter how much new old-school goodness you need, today's your lucky day!

– 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!

July 27, 2024: Time Is Of The Essence?

I've made no secret that I'm a long-time Doctor Who fan. One of the fascinating elements I remember from watching An Adventure in Space and Time – the biographical television film about the genesis of the show – was that the BBC had an extreme aversion to overtime . . . to the point where the lights went out in the middle of filming a scene. ("Them's the rules," the cameraman helpfully explains.)

The pressure the director and crew must have gone through to get episodes done in time must have been enormous; "close" doesn't count if a few seconds late means everyone is plunged into darkness.

I've always wondered to what extent games could have a similar time-crunch pressure. Obviously some already do, such as Five-Minute Dungeon or myriad at-home escape rooms. But what would (say) Illuminati be like with a chess clock? How would a game of Munchkin  play out if you knew it was going to end no later than 10:00, exactly? (In that case, you'd need to implement some kind of maximum time per turn, to keep players from "running out the clock.")

Outside of just doing something different, I imagine this might be most interesting at conventions, where players often must be done and out of the room by a certain time.

If anyone's done something like this, I'd be curious to hear how it went on the forums . . . if you have the time, of course.

– 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!

July 26, 2024: Part 2: A Vision For Steve Jackson Games

As the CEO of Steve Jackson Games, my vision for the future is rooted in a deep respect for our past and an unwavering commitment to innovation. Our company boasts a vast library of games that have entertained and inspired countless players over the years. It is a legacy I am proud to uphold, and I believe it is crucial to honor our history while also embracing new opportunities. One of my primary goals is to ensure that our beloved games remain accessible and relevant. This means preserving and updating our classic titles, making sure they continue to delight both longtime fans and new players. Games like Munchkin , GURPS , and Car Wars are cornerstones of our catalog, and we will continue to support and expand these universes. At the same time, I am passionate about bringing new and exciting games to the industry. The world of tabletop gaming is constantly evolving, and I want Steve Jackson Games to be part of this evolution. My hope is to create games that are not only fun to play but also push the boundaries of what tabletop gaming can be. 2024 has been very much a rebuilding year. Our team has been working tirelessly on some exciting (and new!) titles for release in 2025 and beyond. I cannot wait to show you what we have in store!

– Meredith Placko

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!

July 25, 2024: Questions Three: Darryll Silva

If you've been part of any of our crowdfunding campaigns in recent years, you've almost certainly witnessed the administrative handiwork of Project Manager Darryll Silva. If you've picked up our releases in other venues, the odds are nontrivial you've benefitted from Darryll's expertise and attention to detail. And if you've been on Slack and received a questioning ping about interesting ideas to make available for fans, you might be me – Steven Marsh – proofreading this post.

Darryll graciously took the time to answer some queries from me for this latest iteration of Questions Three.

Project wrangling of the sort you do involves a lot of spinning plates but can seem pretty invisible from the outside. What's the most interesting part that customers would only notice if you weren't doing it well?

Well, gee, interviewer, way to put me on the spot here. ;)

I think that I have had the great opportunity to help and learn about different aspects of the business throughout my time here, but I'm still only one person and the whole team here is what makes this [flails wildly] actually move forward and turn into something cool that we can share with everyone. The plates keep spinning because we are often all helping to spin each others plates to keep them balanced.

You worked tirelessly behind the scenes on the ultra-successful Munchkin Big Box BackerKit campaign. Any cool moment or anecdote from that campaign you can share?

This is going to sound kind of mushy, but oh well. I think the coolest part of it was reading through all the people discussing Munchkin and the Big Box on social media and sharing their stories and experiences. All that positivity and emotion really helped to reinforce why I've been in gaming and entertainment for over 20 years now.

You've helped shepherd big projects and campaigns for Car Wars, Munchkin, The Fantasy Trip, GURPS, and no doubt others I've forgotten. Is there anything interesting you've found different about the vibes across them?

Your question prompted me to see how many projects I've touched in various ways now, and it's close to 90 crowdfunded projects, from small dice projects to large heavy boxes full of Old School Roleplaying, T-shirt campaigns, and more. I think the thing I've noticed most in my time behind the scenes on all of these campaigns is the returning backers who show up for so many of our projects across our various lines. You may not think we see you, but we do, and it's not something that goes unnoticed.

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To keep abreast of all of Steve Jackson Games' crowdfunding efforts – where you'll no doubt witness Darryll's ongoing handiwork – check out our Kickstarter page and our BackerKit page and click the handy "Follow" buttons on both.

– Darryll Silva, interviewed by 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!