Steve Jackson's Blog, page 61

March 17, 2024: Now Available On Demand: The Basic Set For GURPS Fourth Edition!

They said it couldn't be done, but we've done the impossible many times before and haven't gotten caught yet. Behold! The latest entry in our incredibly popular and ever-growing On Demand series: the GURPS Basic Set ! Or should I say . . . four versions of the Basic Set ?!

The foundational volumes of the beloved GURPS Fourth Edition are now available via print-on-demand technology, in pretty much all available formats. Hardcover or softcover, color or black-and-white, we have versions that fit just about every budget and need.

GURPS Basic Set: Characters
All the options you need to make the GURPS hero of your dreams . . . or adversaries worthy of nightmares!
• Black-and-white softcover
• Black-and-white hardcover
• Color softcover
• Color hardcover

GURPS Basic Set: Campaigns
The essential rules needed to run a GURPS campaign: combat, tech, perils, and possibilities!
• Black-and-white softcover
• Black-and-white hardcover
• Color softcover
• Color hardcover

These two POD offerings mark the culmination of two initiatives hinted at last year, when we made the existing On Demand Fourth Edition catalog available in color, as well as when I broached the subject of hardcovers. So this is about as all-encompassing an experiment as we can do in this regard.

It's never been easier to get back to basics with your GURPS library, as you like it – on demand!

– 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!

March 16, 2024: Otherworldly Goodness With GURPS Template Toolkit 4: Spirits

Getting in the spirit with GURPS has never been easier, thanks to GURPS Template Toolkit 4: Spirits ! This supplement delivers at-your-fingertips GURPS material on the immaterial world, with stackable template packages, over 20 new powers, foundational game traits, and more. Use the incorporeal components to generate exactly the frightening force you want, or follow the step-by-step guide to inspire you and conjure entities beyond your imagination.

GURPS Template Toolkit 4: Spirits puts the "boo" in "Wow, what an amazing GURPS book!" It puts the "Eek!" in "This is the spirit-related GURPS gaming goodness I seek!" It puts the "specter" in "Download it today from Warehouse 23 and become an excellent supplement inspec-" . . . I'll stop now.

– 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!

March 15, 2024: 2024 GAMA EXPO

The Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) Expo took place last week, and the consensus is that it was incredibly successful. Our team traveled to Louisville, Kentucky, for a week-long con at the famous Galt House and the Kentucky International Convention Center. Our team hosted Booth 420, and we had the opportunity to meet lots of retailers and other folks across the board game industry. We were busy bees at the booth, demoing new games, networking with other game manufacturers, signing up retailers for direct sales, and introducing new fans to all we have to offer.  We also participated in four game nights where we taught Pathfinder Revolution! , Groo: The Game , Tabloids , and much more! A great time was had by all, and many attendees were thrilled to have the chance to meet and talk with Steve Jackson himself. (Steve wrote about his experiences earlier in the week.) If you're an industry professional and attended the 2024 GAMA EXPO, let us know how your show was!

– 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!

March 14, 2024: My Last Popcorn Secret

Or should I say my last popcorn secret for now? (Dun-dun-DUNNNN...)

I recently revealed my secrets of popcorn proficiency; equipped with such, you should be able to craft a snack that can entice mothers-in-law across the world. Or at least mine, and that's what's most important. In that prior post I also promised to reveal my final secret . . . one that hits close to home for me. And thus it is so.

Behold! The Original Whirley Pop.

Another secret to great popcorn is to keep the kernels moving in the pan as it heats on the burner. This ensures that the heat distributes evenly and prevents the popcorn from scorching. The Whirley Pop has a handle that lets you agitate the kernels in a way that doesn't involve asking them if they floss enough or how much they have saved for retirement. The slow-but-steady stirring keeps the kernels well-coated and popping happily.

This device is near and dear to us because we learned – after we bought it – that it's apparently from Monon, Indiana – about a 90-minute drive from us. They have more information on their website.

I haven't done anything with this unusual discovery; it'd be a fairly trivial road trip, but my current plans don't consist of more than getting to the parking lot, going "This place exists!" and then turning around and driving back, plans which are usually only reserved for expeditions to the Grand Canyon or the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota. Still, it's nice to know that something we enjoy so much harkens from nearby.

If anyone uses this lore to up their own popcorn prowess – or has their own tips to share – please feel free to post on the forums.

– 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!

March 13, 2024: In Praise Of Stable File Formats

Today I realized how stable some file formats have been for quite a long time. In particular, I was marveling at the fact that some of my PDF library is 20 years old, and the files still work fine. I also have various text and image files (as in, good old-fashioned TXTs and venerable JPGs) that are older than that and have survived two different operating-system migrations.

This compares with the situation in the earlier part of the millennium, where it seemed like various file formats were doomed for obsolescence or questionable applicability almost as soon as they appeared. I've converted my CD library at least three times in my life, as different audio formats have grown out of fashion. (To quote one friend who spoke correctly in the past, "Those poor files trapped in WMA format!") Hitting close to home for you – our amazing fans – we still keep at least two old Macs encased in digital amber, for when we need to update some old file format for a book that would be difficult for more reasons to "uplift" to a more-modern program.

I'm sure more technologically savvy folks who read this may know why we've hit a point of stability for at least some formats (feel free to discuss it on the forums!). I suspect it's because some of the types of files we've ended up with have been well-documented, embraced by the community, and expandable enough that they don't get supplanted by newer formats. But all I know is that I'm thrilled by PDFs I still have from last millennium that'll load on just about any device I can think of 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!

March 12, 2024: A Quirk Of Being On Demand?

I just literally realized today (well, as I write this . . . it'll probably be a while before you can read it) that – because we've released a boatload of our back catalog as part of our On Demand program through Amazon – this also means we can get reviews through Amazon as well.

The very first book I checked in this fashion was GURPS Adaptations , a somewhat (in my opinion) undervalued-but-awesome supplement that gives insight into adapting their favorite fictional worlds into GURPS . I was pleased to discover that it had 11 ratings and a 5-star average. (See?! Folks agree with me!)

However, it only has one actual review (at the time of this writing), which was well-remarked but asked a question: Why isn't there text on the spine? It notes – correctly – that other thin GURPS books (such as Flight 13 ) had the title on the spine, which made it more easily findable on shelves.

There's actually a great reason for that! The On Demand process lets us keep an amazing amount of our back catalog available and affordable, but it's not the same as a traditional printing method that makes thousands of copies at a time. In particular, the On Demand process simply cannot allow for text on spines for books less than 96 pages . . . and even that results in text that is tiny. (In an ideal world, we prefer to limit spine text only to books of 128 pages or greater.) The reasons for this are a smidge complicated, but basically the printing-one-at-a-time process results in a tad more variance than the "robots make dozens of books" method. Most of the time, this isn't noticeable, but when you're dealing with a spine that's only a 1/4" thick, a variance of (say) 1/16 of an inch is a big percentage of that, which opens up the possibility that the text doesn't end up where it needs to.

Still, the book-printing process evolves all the time, and we'll continue to keep abreast of the latest news and methodology. If we ever discover that we can bring spine-text to thinner books, we'll certainly test it. Speaking personally, my own House of Too Many Books appreciates it when I can immediately see what it is on my shelves.

– 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!

March 11, 2024: Popcorn Secrets

I make a lot of popcorn in my household. It's a great snack: cheap, healthy, satisfying. It's also awesome at the gaming table; just make sure all players have napkins to keep their hands oil-free!

I'm going to share the three secrets that make all the difference to my popping prowess, resulting in a treat that makes my wonderful mother-in-law happy . . . one of my ongoing life goals, I assure you.

My secrets aren't really secrets if you poke around online, but lots of people are still surprised when I mention them, so I present them in case you're part of today's lucky 10,000.

Secret number one: Coconut oil. I've tried a lot of different oils to make popcorn, and they all pale in comparison to coconut oil. If you ever wanted to know the secret to movie-theater popcorn, this is it.

Secret number two: Popcorn salt. A light dusting of popcorn salt works wonders, and when sprinkled on just-popped popcorn, it almost "melts." Regular salt doesn't come close. (We actually use specialty salt called Flavacol; I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes, but it's also super-fine like "regular" popcorn salt.)

Secret number three: Preheat the oil. Turn the oil to the temp you're going to use. (I normally go a smidge above "medium," but it depends on your heating method.) Then toss three kernels into the cold oil as it heats. Eventually the oil will get hot enough that those kernels start popping; you want at least two of them to pop (think of it as a snack-based Minority Report ), but most of the time, all three pop to let you know the oil is ready. As soon as possible after that second or third kernel pops, toss in the rest of your popcorn. "Preheating" the oil in this way keeps the kernels from getting dried out and tough by slowly heating oil.

I have one more secret to great popcorn, but it actually hits a bit closer to home – literally – so I'll share that one in its own Daily Illuminator down the road.

– 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!

March 10, 2024: GAMA Trade Show And Nerdi Gras

Last weekend: the GAMA Trade Show, this year in Louisville, which was a MUCH better venue than smoky, remote-from-East-Coast Reno. It looked very good. I enjoyed myself, caught up with a lot of old friends, and learned a lot. A tip of the hat to everyone involved in making that show happen - GAMA board, GAMA staff, and everyone who just made themselves useful. And thank you to our team there for doing a great job.

This weekend: Nerdi Gras in Atlanta. John Kovalic and I will be there, along with Jean McGuire and Irene Zielinski of our staff. Games will be played. And playtested. Join us!

– 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!

March 9, 2024: Finished! – My Most-Played iOS Game

There's one game I play on my iPhone and iPad more than any other: Finished! – Puzzly Solitaire . This is a clever solitaire-type card game where the object is to get all the cards into the played pile. You draw three cards at a time and can rearrange them before "discarding" them and drawing three more cards. Cards have special abilities you can activate with tokens ("candy"), and you're trying to get all cards into the played pile before you cycle through the deck seven times. This is kept track of by spending a cup of "coffee" . . . which, I promise, makes sense in the theme of the game.

Basically, it's a game of memory, logic, and contemplation, as you "sort" the deck into numerical order, a handful of cards at a time. I bought the upgrade, which gives me access to unlimited use of the "Undo" feature, of which I avail myself with abandon. As such, it's a game where I can pretty much win every time, but still have to think about it somewhat and be clever if I want the most points. The game also provides a score, so there's an incentive to do well, although some boards I feel lucky to escape at all.

Finished! is based on a physical card game designed by Friedemann Friese. I haven't played that one (I should probably add it to my holiday "wish list"), but I feel the app form is about as perfect a vessel for the concept as I could imagine. If you were the type of person who played too much Freecell and Klondike on the computer in the 1990s, this scratches many of the same itches even more so.

– 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!

March 8, 2024: Name Your Images

Here's a quick tip: If you're a digital packrat who likes to download memes, comics, etc., chances are whatever you download has a nonsensical file name generated by some humorless computer sitting atop a throne of . . . I don't know, other computers. The metaphor got away from me.

Anyway, as soon as you download it, name it whatever you would want to use to search for it in the future. If it's, say, a funny Dork Tower webcomic with a "SMARSH" sound effect, then name it Dork Tower mention of SMARSH.jpg. We're decades past the era where you were only permitted single-digit characters to name a file; make the file system sweat with as lengthy an explanation as you need.

Doing so will make it a kajillion times easier to find in the future with your computer's "search" function, should the need arise.

– 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!