Steve Jackson's Blog, page 66

January 27, 2024: Going, Going, Gone?

We've had the new Warehouse 23 storefront for almost a year now, and I'm still learning cool bits about it. Case in point: I just realized that I can ask it to show me which items we only have a handful of left.

This is very cool . . . and by "cool," I mean "somewhat dangerous," as I find myself tempted by these items that might be going out of stock soon. However, I'm knocking the credit card out of my hand long enough to let you know a few particularly interesting items that had six or fewer in warehouse at the time I wrote this.

• The Illuminati Blackout Hat is a black-on-black ball cap design, in a "goth" meets "[FNORD]" aesthetic. As of this writing, we've only got six left.

• Several sizes of the Gaymes Rainbow Eye-in-Pyramid Pride Shirt are very close to being sold out, with a couple sizes already all gone! If you've been eyeing this Pride-filled apparel, you might want to act quickly.

• The Deluxe Dice Bag: Kitten Caster is a . . . wait. Look at this thing! IS IT PART OF MY COLLECTION ALREADY?!?! Ahem. Anyway, depending on how quickly I can check my shelf and/or fumble with my wallet, we have no more than four of these cuties left.

The store has other items with limited stock, but these are a few that caught my eye and seem most in danger of disappearing so that they can make way for other new and interesting goodies. Get them before they get gone!

– 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!

January 26, 2024: Board Games On TV

We are living in the digital streaming age of television, so how could I relate TV back to board games? Believe it or not, tabletop gaming has played a funny, and sometimes quite serious, role in some of the most well-known series of all time.  Risk – SeinfieldSeason 6, Episode 12 – "The Label Maker" Fans will certainly remember the time Kramer and Newmann battled against each other in a head-to-head game of Risk in Jerry's apartment. Kramer becomes paranoid and is convinced Newmann is cheating by sneaking into the apartment to make secret moves. As is on par for Seinfeld, hilarity ensues!  Stratego – The X-FilesSeason 2, Episode 1 – "Little Green Men" In a flashback sequence during this 1994 episode, Fox Mulder and his sister Samantha can be seen playing the classic game Stratego . Spending time playing the game with his sister is a core memory for him, as it is during a moment vital to the mythology of the series. I won't spoil it for you, but let's just say things get rather… spooky.  Settlers of Catan – The Big Bang TheorySeason 5, Episode 13 – "The Recombination Hypothesis" Brick. Wood. Wheat. Sheep. Ore. These are the 5 resources in Settlers of Catan . But there's one Sheldon needs that has Raj and Howard absolutely rolling with laughter. As always during this series, Sheldon doesn't get the joke. If you've played the game, it is the joke – so there's no need to say it here! While other games are mentioned and seen during the show's 12 seasons, this is certainly the most memorable.  Dungeon and Dragons – Stranger ThingsVarious Episodes Stranger Things is one of the most popular and successful TV series to be created by Netflix. What makes this game reference unique is that it sets up the entire premise of the show, beginning in the very first episode. The Demogorgon, part of Mike, Will, Lucas, and Dustin's long Dungeons and Dragons campaign, is a central figure and plays a pivotal role in the series as whole. Want to know more? Journey to the Upside Down!  The Cones of Dunshire - Parks and RecreationSeason 6, Episode 9 - "The Cones of Dunshire" Ben Wyatt is between jobs and uses his copious amounts of spare time to create his very own board game - The Cones of Dunshire . While rules for this somewhat fictional 8-player game may be incredibly complex, or even convoluted, it really does look like fun! In a future episode, it is seen being played by Pawnee's accounting firm, much to Ben's surprise. In 2020, I made a full-size copy of the game – including the Ledgerman hat! – from scratch using craft materials, thrifted items, and this guide. Sadly, it's never made it to the table.

Board games show up in many, many other series. Keep an eye out for more the next time you're binge watching!

– 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!

January 25, 2024: Humble Discworld Bundle

Humble has outdone themselves this time. Right now, they've got a Discworld Bundle on, supporting Room to Read. For a minimum of $18, you can get 39 Discworld books (almost the entire series) on Kobo.com.

If someone has recommended the Discworld series but you don't know where to begin, well . . . this bundle won't make that choice easier, but it does mean you'll have access to any starting point you'd like! And once you've fallen in love with the universe, you can go one step further with the  Discworld Roleplaying Game. 



Discworld is my favorite fictional universe, and the  GURPS Discworld books not only brilliantly adapt the unique and complex world for the multiverse's greatest roleplaying game, but also add new settings and story hooks to explore! The  Discworld Roleplaying Game is a must-have for any roleplayer or any fans of Sir Terry looking to complete their collection. 

I know nobody asked, but my favorite book is Monstrous Regiment. It's a hilarious and thrilling adventure, and it's also the most I've ever felt personally represented or understood by a work of fiction as a butch woman. [Here I tried to list one or two more starting options, but ended up listing most of the subseries . . . So, really, there's hardly a WRONG place to start]. 

This bundle will only be here through January 31, so grab it now!

– Irene Zielinski

GNU Terry Pratchett

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!

January 24, 2024: In Each Retelling Finds The Twists In The Tales

Jasmine Garcia shares my love of stories. We've played in several TTRPGs together, and we love discussing how various books, movies, and TV shows have helped us shape the characters we inhabit during our games. Now Jasmine has expanded that conversation into a podcast called In Each Retelling , where she and her guests discuss and dissect the tropes and tales that have shaped pop culture. I recently took some time to ask Jasmine about her interest in storytelling and how her podcast helps people see old stories in a new light. 1) What inspired you to create this podcast? I've always wanted to do something related to retellings. I am an aspiring author and have a number of retellings of my own in my works-in-progress list, but I also really enjoy discussing existing art and media. I thought about doing a show called The Fairytale Critic with basically that premise, and then I considered a video essay format. But as Ben Schwartz once tweeted, "Video killed the radio star, and now podcasts are out for revenge." Thank goodness the people in my inner circle seemed to think it was a good idea and said they would help me out. 2) When did you first become interested in adaptations and retellings of classic stories? Storytelling has always been my greatest passion. As a small child I was writing crossovers of different fairy tales and Disney properties. When I was barely out of elementary school, I was devouring the likes of Gail Carson Levine and other writers that were doing postmodern takes on these old stories. By the time I was about 13, I knew I wanted to try to write my own. As I got older, I became more aware of the way retelling old stories from new perspectives could be a means of letting more marginalized people have their say on the so-called "Western canon." As a fat, queer Latina, that's so important to me. To quote one of the topics we'll be tackling soon, "Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing." I'd expand that into believing that your voice matters in your culture's storytelling and is just as powerful. 3) Many of your guests approach stories through different lenses: multicultural, socio-political, and so on. Have these perspectives helped you see myths, legends, and folklore in a new light? Oh, absolutely yes. It was always one of my goals in this podcast to do exactly that. One of the beautiful things about storytelling is that no two people are going to have the same view on a piece of media, the same way no two retellings will ever be exactly alike. I feel like I learn something new whenever I record an episode, because I'm blessed with a social circle full of people who are all intelligent and insightful. As you said, they are able to come at these episodes from different angles, whether it's a more academic, analytical approach, or a creative, almost fan-creator mindset of, "Let's script doctor this 30-year-old film."  4) Why do you think so many classic stories and tropes endure, despite sweeping changes in society? Part of it is definitely how ubiquitous these stories often are. More likely than not, the first story you remember being told is a fairytale or folktale that's existed for centuries, and most of us have read a Shakespeare play or Greek myth for school, if nothing else. At this point, many of these stories have taken deep roots in our culture. I doubt we'll ever stop talking about them, let alone retelling them. I also think these stories all have some aspect that we can relate to as human beings. Like I said before, every person will have a unique perspective on these works, which means there'll always be a new interpretation to find.  In Each Retelling is available on numerous podcast platforms, including Buzzsprout and Spotify.

– 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!

January 23, 2024: It's A Puzzle Wrapped In – No, Wait, It's Just Puzzles

For those tabletop RPG gamers who like an intellectual challenge (or even folks who like brain-teasers away from the game table), Gizmodo has a nice collection of logic puzzles, most of which have decent hooks and neat solutions.

Be warned! Most of them are quite difficult. However, the underlying hooks on the bulk of them are generic enough at their core to adapt to the genre or setting of your choice. If they prove too challenging for the players, then a decent IQ roll should supply them with enough hints to still make the players feel smart when they figure them out fully.

– 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!

January 22, 2024: Ogre Miniatures Set 4 Comes To BackerKit!

The year is 2085. Armored warfare has changed. It is now not just faster, but deadlier than it has ever been before. There are combine patrols, Paneuro GEVs, fencers, Alamo Super-Heavy tanks, Minotaur Howitzers, and other fierce and destructive infantry vehicles. Based on the classic 1977 war game Ogre , Ogres Miniatures Set 4 is the final wave of minis created to enhance the base game. With four pledge levels beginning at just $40, you can save up to $17 during this campaign's exclusive pricing! In addition, we're offering a whole host of special add-on items that can be purchased along with your pledge. These include minis from Set 3 (one Doppelsoldner and one Ogre Mark VI), Ogre Miniatures Set 1 Glow-in-the-Dark Paneuro Units (41 miniatures!), and an Ogre playmat.  But why should you choose to back this new project? "I think the best part of Set 4 is that you get more than 80 plastic minis for just $40! It can be very satisfying to sit down and assemble and paint the minis. For those wanting to fill their miniatures sets out, this has the combine units you've been needing," say Darryll Silva, Project & BackerKit Manager.  The BackerKit site also includes a video where you can watch Ben Williams, Production Artist for Ogre Miniatures Set 4 , paint assembled minis. Ben adds, "The minis have an awesome retro feel and they're packed with great details!" Head over to BackerKit to make your pledge right away — the opportunity to back this final wave of minis only lasts until January 25th!

– 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!

January 21, 2024: Keeping Track Of Chits And Bits

I've been thinking about how many games we play that have little bits around the table, and how we keep them organized. In mulling it over (and considering if it might make good fodder for the Daily Illuminator), I realized we actually have two go-to solutions, which touch on two different topics. And that means two different entries!

The first solution is easy: those little cupcake liners made out of silicone. These are readily available and quite cheap; you can frequently get them for less than $1 apiece (assuming you buy a dozen or more). You may not even need to go out and purchase them if your own baking cabinet is well stocked!

Silicone baking cups have some advantages. They come in different colors, which makes it easy for us to color-code games that have different bit types: "Ahh, damage is in the red cups; potions are in the blue cups." They're designed to be stackable and pliable, so they can fit into pretty much any corner of a game bag without fear of damage. They're flexible enough to make a "spout" by squeezing the sides and pouring out bits we need. And they're easily washed if they start to get a bit grimy; we just toss ours in the dishwasher.

One of their advantages is also their biggest downside: They're squishy. This means that they're quite easy to pick up and use to scoop bits into your hands. (Good!) But their soft nature means that they sometimes collapse and slip out of our hands, spilling the bits. (Bad!) Still, for a number of games, they're great. If you have some kicking around your kitchen, give 'em a try! 

– 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!

January 20, 2024: Eating A Tiny Peanut Pouch And Awaiting My Luggage In 1604

Over the holiday break, I found a headline on CNN that's pure RPG catnip for my brain: "Passengers hoped this 'time traveling' flight would give them two New Year's Eves – but they arrived in the wrong year."

The link explains what happened (I'm sure you can guess), but the premise is irresistible (and makes me want to rewatch the 1989 film Millennium ).

And if anyone is looking for a taste of in-flight weirdness, we might humbly offer our own GURPS Flight 13 adventure?

– 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!

January 19, 2024: Did You Like The Microgames?

David Pulver, who many of you know as a prolific GURPS and TFT author, has turned his hand to boardgame design and created a new game in the style of the 1970s microgames. Operation Meteor is about humanity's last effort to stave off an AI apocalypse. It's crowdfunding now, and already halfway to its goal. Read about it here!

– 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!

January 18, 2024: CEO Meredith Placko Descends Into The Abomination Vault

One of the joys of TTRPGs is that they're not scripted – even the most prepared GM can't anticipate what their players might choose to do. This unique element of improvisational chaos may be why TTRPG livestreams and actual plays have become appointment viewing (er, streaming?) for so many people, including myself. It's even more fun to watch when someone you know is involved, which is why I'm looking forward to checking out "Band of Badgers Presents: Abomination Vault." After all, it's not every day that your boss teams up with other tabletop roleplaying fans to take on a Pathfinder Adventure Path. That's right – our very own Meredith Placko will join Michael Jimenez, Richard Denyer, and Steve Thrussell and Dave Cresswell from Band of Badgers as they traverse a megadungeon filled with monsters, traps, and (presumably) monstrous traps. Meredith will be playing Lex, an elf rogue with a history that's intertwined with a well-known Pathfinder setting. Can you guess which one? Who are the Band of Badgers? They're a group of friends who enjoyed exploring various TTRPGs so much that they formed an official club in 2018 and decided to start filming and streaming their adventures for others to enjoy. "Band of Badgers Presents: Abomination Vault" is sponsored by Paizo, Beadle and Grimm's, and Turbo Dork. Episodes air every other week on Fridays at 4:00 pm EST, with Session 0 beginning on Friday, January 19. You can catch the stream live on Twitch or view on demand via YouTube. 

– 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!