Steve Jackson's Blog, page 5

September 8, 2025: Just Announced: Munchkin Vox Machina – A Critical Role Game

We made a very exciting announcement at Dragon Con. If you missed Steve's What's New panel at the show (and the ads popping up on social media since then), you may not have heard that we will be publishing Munchkin Vox Machina   in Spring 2026.

This deluxe Munchkin set includes a board depicting the continent of Tal'Dorei, where many of the adventures of Vox Machina took place. You'll be tracking your progress on that map with a standie showing art of one of the members of Vox Machina . Each player chooses a character card at the start of the game and uses it and its special rule throughout the game. Each of these rules reflects an element of that character, from Keyleth's growth over the course of the campaign to Percy's vengeful nature while trying to save his home.

That's not the only way this box stands out a bit from most Munchkin sets. There's also a 20-sided die included. We couldn't make a Critical Role game without including this fundamental aspect of so many of the games they've streamed (and the object that gives their logo its shape). Many of the cards in the game force you to roll this die instead of the d6. Natural 20s don't mean anything in the game, but you can still jump up on your chair and take a picture if you roll one; we won't stop you. 

And speaking of those cards, you'll find the decks packed with the villains, friends, and loot that you first saw in the streamed games. You don't want to face Orthax alone, but roll well on the d20, and Raishan might aid you instead of attacking. Percy's Mask is a potent One-Shot, especially when played against your fellow players, and the Titanstone Knuckles grow the size of your combat strength. Lady Kima gives a bonus to other Guardians, but Kaylie Shorthalt is more helpful for Assassins. 

I already hear you asking, "What's a Guardian or an Assassin?" Well, in this Munchkin Vox Machina , you will have a Role in the party and a Drive that motivates you. Will you be a Sage capable of shape changing or a priest who offers healing prayers? You may be driven by a search for Self Discovery . . .  or by your unshakable Courage. 

You'll find some preview images on the product page, and we'll be showing off more of the game as we get closer to its release date.

– Will Schoonover

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!

September 9, 2025: Cover I Love: Jean McGuire Edition

The cover I love most is actually two covers. And my love is not just for art, but also for nostalgia. Specifically, it's the cover for The Fantasy Trip . The nostalgia part is simple: I bought Melee when it came out in a zip bag, from a long-defunct company called Metagaming. Then Wizard . Then the MicroQuests . Then they came out with something bigger: letter-sized booklets for Advanced Melee , Advanced Wizard , and In the Labyrinth . Together, they made up a game called The Fantasy Trip , and I was hooked. Aside from the wonders of this incredible game system that wasn't anything like D&D , the cover (all three used the same cover art) was beautiful: Instead of the busy, complicated, and frankly generally bad covers of most RPG products at the time, the art was clean, sophisticated, and it looked like it was done with an airbrush, not a crayon. While the color palette leaned heavily on purple and green, it was nothing like the (to me) hideous Erol Otus art that was gaining traction. It was probably the first cover art I actually liked, and it was on the cover of the most awesome game. Decades later, Steve Jackson had recovered the copyright to TFT , and there was (after ~40 years) a new edition. I'll admit I didn't like the cover art quite as much, mostly because it depicted a fight in progress, rather than that moment of anticipation before everything goes south; tension was replaced by action. But it kept the same color palette, the same basic layout, and the female character had clothes now! And perhaps more important is what it signified: This is The Fantasy Trip ! I was 18 again, standing in my FLGS (creatively named "The Game Store") and scraping my pennies together to buy it. The cover was a callback to that very first TFT cover. For those of us who were there for the first one, the new edition was a must-have. And it was, to a large extent, because of that cover. This was The Fantasy Trip . Decades after that cover first saw the light, I still think it's one of the best FRPG covers ever drawn. It would still stand out in the market today. And they did it twice.

– Jean McGuire

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!

September 8, 2025: Just Announced: Munchkin Vox Machina – A Critical Role Game

We made a very exciting announcement at Dragon Con. If you missed Steve's What's New panel at the show (and the ads popping up on social media since then), you may not have heard that we will be publishing Munchkin Vox Machina   in Spring 2026.

This deluxe Munchkin set includes a board depicting the continent of Tal'Dorei, where many of the adventures of Vox Machina took place. You'll be tracking your progress on that map with a standie showing art of one of the members of Vox Machina . Each player chooses a character card at the start of the game and uses it and its special rule throughout the game. Each of these rules reflects an element of that character, from Keyleth's growth over the course of the campaign to Percy's vengeful nature while trying to save his home.

That's not the only way this box stands out a bit from most Munchkin sets. There's also a 20-sided die included. We couldn't make a Critical Role game without including this fundamental aspect of so many of the games they've streamed (and the object that gives their logo its shape). Many of the cards in the game force you to roll this die instead of the d6. Natural 20s don't mean anything in the game, but you can still jump up on your chair and take a picture if you roll one; we won't stop you. 

And speaking of those cards, you'll find the decks packed with the villains, friends, and loot that you first saw in the streamed games. You don't want to face Orthax alone, but roll well on the d20, and Raishan might aid you instead of attacking. Percy's Mask is a potent One-Shot, especially when played against your fellow players, and the Titanstone Knuckles grow the size of your combat strength. Lady Kima gives a bonus to other Guardians, but Kaylie Shorthalt is more helpful for Assassins. 

I already hear you asking, "What's a Guardian or an Assassin?" Well, in this Munchkin Vox Machina , you will have a Role in the party and a Drive that motivates you. Will you be a Sage capable of shape changing or a priest who offers healing prayers? You may be driven by a search for Self Discovery . . .  or by your unshakable Courage. 

You'll find some preview images on the product page, and we'll be showing off more of the game as we get closer to its release date.

– Will Schoonover

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!

September 7, 2025: $1.5 Billion Settlement Mooted Against AI Company

This is still a developing story, but it appears that one of the AI companies is about to make a big settlement for work that it skimmed off the Internet and used to train its Skynet.

And yes, apparently the pirate "archives" that Anthropic used included quite a few works from SJ Games. However, the current proposal won't include us in the settlement, because the magazines and game books in question – though they did have ISBNs – were not individually registered with the Library of Congress. If you don't see why the judge thought that was a deciding factor . . . well, I don't, either. The judge also felt that Anthropic's piracy was "fair use" in those cases where the material had been taken without going through a literal pirate site. 

Nevertheless, where there has been one settlement, there are likely to be more, and the terms may be different. And even if the rules are peculiar, this is a blow in favor of authors and against the "Wild West" of AI companies that try to profit from the work of others.

Here's a link to the Ars Technica story – and I'd suggest that as a good site on which to keep up with this case and the others like it.

– 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!

September 6, 2025: The Power Of Crowds Meets The Power Of Archives

Toward the end of August, there was a call for information from Owen KC Stephens (RPG writer with too many amazing credits to list, but I will gladly note he was a columnist and frequent contributor for the HTML era of Pyramid magazine). Over on Facebook, he was looking for a particular bit of gaming ephemera:

"I'm trying to find a specific game ad. I'm pretty sure it was for a small wargame, in the early 1980s, and I saw it in a game magazine. Maybe Dragon. It has a retro-style robot with a rifle, and one or two people in lab coats. I feel like it was a mutants-are-attacking kinda game, but I can't be sure. Ring a bell with anyone?"

I felt like I vaguely remembered the ad Owen was talking about, but I wouldn't trust my memory with what I did last week, let alone an ad I last saw back when there were only three Star Wars movies. Still, I had a trick up my sleeve: He mentioned "the early 1980s."

Now, as it so happens, Steve Jackson Games published The Space Gamer right around that time, and we have a complete archive available. Our first issue was cover dated March/April 1980 – about as "early 1980s" as one can get.

So, I started searching. Since I knew what I was looking for, it was quick and easy to flip through the digital pages. Less than an hour after the original question (and probably less than 15 minutes after I started searching), I'd found the original ad – for Attack of the Mutants – in Space Gamer #38 , cover dated April 1981. (Knowing now what to look for, I believe it first appeared a couple of issues earlier, in both Space Gamer #36 and Space Gamer #37 , but I just missed them in my "do it quick" archive search.)

Anyway, it was a fun manifestation of a phenomenon I've noticed in the past, where it's often quicker and easier to ask my friends than muddle through an online investigation alone. This is especially true in recent months, as search results have gotten more difficult to parse.

For those who are curious and have the archives, there's even a capsule review of Attack of the Mutants in Space Gamer #43 .

– 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!

September 5, 2025: The Illuminati Do Not Exist. The Chilluminati, On The Other Hand . . .

No one will be surprised to learn that among some SJGames staff there's an interest in things Fortean – the unexplained and mysterious. (I mean, it's basically right there on the company logo.) I'm definitely one of these; my interest in the subject has never waned, despite my firmly held belief that at least 99% of it is 100% baloney. This creates a problem when I yearn for paranormal content to consume. Most creators are almost cult-like in their absolute seriousness with regard to the subject. While this already makes for some bland listening, it also inevitably leads them to interpret every unreliable eyewitness account, blurry photograph, and second of shaky-cam video as irrefutable proof. Before I know it, I'm turning it off and looking for something else to listen to.

Fortunately, a few years back, I discovered the Chilluminati Podcast. In their over-300-episode run, they've covered just about every paranormal topic you can think of, all while goofing around together and cracking jokes. Each subject is exhaustively researched – meaning even if it's a story you think you know, they may have found some bits of info you've never heard before. Better still, one of the trio is a skeptic after my own heart who never backs away from giving the other hosts a hard time when they start to get a little ridiculous. If you share a similar mindset to mine, consider giving it a listen. You can find it anywhere you find your podcasts. They even put episodes on YouTube, which is how I found it in the first place. CW: language and light drug references, plus the possibility of explicit material germane to the topic.

– Ben Williams

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!

September 4, 2025: Last Chance To Back The Path Of Mastery!

If you see this post on Thursday, September 4, then – depending on what time you see it – you might still have time to start down the Path of Mastery !

As I write this, we're in the final hours for backers to be among the first to get the new solo adventure for The Fantasy Trip . Written by David L. Pulver, Path of Mastery lets you begin a new school term as a student of The T'reo School of Martial Magic – a complete ready-to-use locale or campaign that's also available as part of this crowdfunding effort.

New pupils who partake of the Path of Mastery will discover themselves beset with choices, opportunities . . . and danger! With three professorial mentors to pick from, and various options to get into and out of trouble, you can play through the adventure again and again! 

Don't feel like you need to bring an apple for the teacher . . . just your thirst for power, an eagerness to learn, and maybe a Fireball or two. If the late bell hasn't rung, you can still get into class at Kickstarter today!

– 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!

September 3, 2025: Dragon Con

"Back from Dragon Con" doesn't mean the kind of trek that it used to, now that I am living in Atlanta. The house is less than 4 miles from the convention hotels. Hotels, plural . . . Dragon now takes up five. But it still took me most of today to get unpacked, physically and mentally, and get everything sorted out.

I had a great time, as always. My panels were fun, with rooms full of people asking good questions. We announced Munchkin Critical Role – Vox Machina to wild and much-appreciated applause. (Look for an Illuminator real soon now with details and images.) I even got to see some programming from the audience side, and lo, it was good. And, as always, the hall costumes were a source of ever-changing joy and wonder. I can't even name a favorite this year, but the image of a gaggle of inflatable Tyrannosaurus costumes, in different colors, will stay with me. I remember complimenting a lady on her tooled-leather armor and learning that she had made it herself. And why were so many people dressed as French waiters and carrying baguettes? Perhaps I will find out someday. Perhaps not. Perhaps it's better that way.

And some business got done. I'm not saying what, yet, but I encountered a really neat gadget that just cries out to be Munchkinized. I talked with some new game designers. I bought a towel with a LEGO head embroidered on it (perhaps that's not really business; at any rate, I did not use the company card, Keith, I promise). But now I know where my towel is.

Nobody can ever take in all of Dragon Con. You can't even get close. But it's fun to try.

– 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!

September 2, 2025: The Path Of Crowdfunding

The Kickstarter for the new Fantasy Trip solo adventure, Path of Mastery , launched last week, and I decided that makes this as good a time as any to talk about all the work that goes into the visual assets for the crowdfunds we do.

I've long since lost count of how many Kickstarters, Backerkits, Indiegogos, etc. for which I've designed the graphics.  (A bit ironic, since I strive to make each one memorable.) This means creating strong visual themes that will make the project stand out on the crowdfunding platforms and leave a strong impression with anyone who visits the page. Each campaign needs graphics for pledge levels and add-ons, as well as nameplates to organize the sections, a strong main image to help everyone understand what they're backing, and various other images to add a little spice.

Usually I start with the visual identity of the product itself and build graphics based on that. This was the case in the most recent Backerkit: Last Train to Bremen . The game itself was full of cool visual elements: woodcut-style frames and graphics that could easily be repurposed for the campaign. Another recent project,  Dahlia's Diversions for Peculiar Parties , was quite similar. I worked the floral patterns from the box into all the graphics I could, while toning them down to the point that they didn't distract from the game on offer. The campaign was about to launch when it occurred to me that the same floral patterns could make interesting borders. I still had enough time to repurpose most of the graphics with new floral frames reminiscent of fancy stationary. It was a small touch I really liked, and it was very much in keeping with the theme of the game.

But not everything we crowdfund has assets ready to go. Our  Fantasy Trip  line has a visual identity defined by old-school minimalism – lots of text and a few sporadic pieces of black and white art. Definitely great for a nostalgia kick, but it doesn't lend itself to the attention-grabbing campaign graphics I want to make. But hey, getting creative is one of the best parts of the job. For many of our older campaigns, I took to our archive of old-school line art by William McAusland. Adding some color and texture to his banner and stone wall illustrations while enlarging as needed gave me enough to create a few campaigns-worth of assets.

Which brings us to the latest campaign. For this one, Darryl (our Kickstarter manager, if his constant presence around the campaigns hadn't tipped you off already!) wanted something a little different. After trying a few things, I settled on some more simple graphic borders with geometric flourishes on the nameplates. And since I can never resist a good texture, there are plenty of those throughout!

And speaking of Darryl, he's always there throughout the process, helping proofread and organize everything I make. This includes reminding me I still haven't made that one graphic that I also forgot to make for the last three campaigns, and always pushing me to make something a little better and a little more interesting. He has a new idea for a graphic he'd like made in every new campaign, all to the goal of making the campaign that much more interesting than the last one.

If you've read this far in our behind-the-scenes peek, I hope it will encourage you to take a deeper look at our graphics whenever you check out our latest campaign! 

– Ben Williams

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!

September 1, 2025: Covers I Love - Ben Williams Edition

Having worked here for nearly two decades and touching nearly every product line, it took awhile for me to finally narrow it down to three choices.

The Stars Are Right . I'm going in publication order here, if anyone is curious. This is one of the first products I worked on after I started. I did the layout and logo design, but I don't feel too vain choosing it as its art, drawn and colored by cartoonist Goomi, really draws me to it. My favorite little touch is the tiny cultists. Chef's kiss!



The Fantasy Trip Companion . What's not to love about an octopus necromancer and its army of undead minions? This cephalopod found at least one thing worth loving about humans: Their bones make great soldiers.

Munchkin: Shadowrun . It doesn't hurt that as a 90s kid, I have strong Shadowrun nostalgia. But I also really like Lar deSouza's art, and Alex Fernandez did a great job with the bright neon coloring.

– Ben Williams

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!