Steve Jackson's Blog, page 72

November 28, 2023: Introducing Michelle Richardson

Hey, y'all! I'm Michelle Richardson, and I've just joined the amazing team at Steve Jackson Games as a Marketing Assistant. I come from a background in non-profit fundraising, marketing, and event management.

My passion for board games started at an early age when I would play Scrabble , 7-Hand Rummy , Rummikub , and chess with my parents and grandmother. In college, a friend introduced me to Munchkin , and we would play epic 6-8 hour marathon games, shuffling in  Munchkin Bites , Star Munchkin , Munchkin Cthulhu , and, of course, the original. The obsession developed quickly, and I would gather a group to play every Saturday and Sunday until I graduated. Yes, I have printed and worn the official Munchkin Mask during games.

I moved to Texas in 2011 for graduate school, not knowing a single person, and soon came across the former South Arlington Gamers board game group and the current Dallas Games Marathon. Over the years, they introduced me to a huge range of games including favorites Dominion , Tobago , Imperial Settlers , and Seven Wonders . I owe my entire social circle to the gaming hobby, and they're some of the best and friendliest people I've ever known.

I reside in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex with my dear husband, Tyler. I'm a Disney Princess through and through and will never pass up an opportunity to visit Walt Disney World. Fun fact: I hold two degrees in Classical Flute Performance – one from Duquesne University and the other from The University of Texas Arlington. My love for music goes beyond just classical, as I deeply adore The Beatles, The Struts, and Queen, and I consider the Eurovision Song Contest a way of life. My husband, my mom, and I attend at least a dozen concerts every year. I'm a huge TV and movie buff and watch episodes of Letterkenny and What We Do in the Shadows almost daily. Another hobby is crafting – I paper quill, make Minnie Mouse ears, costumes, and many other random things.

I am honored to be part of this wonderful company and look forward to all the exciting years – and new game releases! – to come. 

– 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!

November 27, 2023: Wisdom Of The Next Generation

Since the needs of the Daily Illuminator are voracious and insatiable, I asked my youngling when he walked in the door from school: "What's your favorite bit of gaming advice?" He's run a few well-respected campaigns as part of his Dungeons & Dragons club at school, and he's been raised from birth by parents who won't shut up about gaming, so I liked my odds at getting something useful from him.

After a few moments of thought, he offered the following:

Players will feel better about having a few awesome moments than a consistently good campaign or adventure. This means you shouldn't be discouraged if there are rough patches or moments where the heroes are floundering, so long as they get to be epic or cool.

It's great advice, which I'm not sure I've ever thought about in that way. I'll definitely be adding it to my tabletop arsenal. (This is the same young man who – while recounting a particularly gifted session of winging it with his players – concluded with, "Any sufficiently advanced improv is indistinguishable from preparation" . . . so I'll be keeping an ear out for any other wisdom I can glean from him.)

And, since he was kind enough to provide the impetus for today's installment, it'd be churlish if I didn't plug his own project: Knightvale News , a storytelling card game for three to five players where you're writers at a medieval newspaper, trying to accomplish your own personal goals via heavily editorialized reporting.

– 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!

November 26, 2023: Marsh Madness?

If you have a closet of shame like I do, you have lots of games that you haven't played (or played much). Here's an idea if you need an excuse to get them off the shelf and on the table: a gaming bracket.

Choose a bracket-friendly number of games you'd like to play: 4, 8, 16 . . . 32 if you've got the backlog and want to do a full "March Madness" on the collection. Make a single-elimination tournament bracket with those games. Perhaps you want to match them by theme. Or to seed them like the pros do, look up their Board Game Geek ratings: highest rated versus lowest rated, second-highest versus second-lowest, etc.

Then start playing. Try to play each of the two games that are "competing" against each other on the same day or successive days, if possible. ("It's Deadly Doodles versus Wiz-War !") Once you've played both games, as a group, figure out which of the two you like better and thus which you want to play again. This determination should be obvious, with more elaborate systems of declaring a victor in individual match-ups left to the reader's imagination.

At the end of the first round, you've played each of the games once, and now half the games advance to the next round. Repeat the process until a winner of the tournament is declared.

This excuse for playing can help games actually hit the table, and can bridge the gap between "games we thought we were interested in" and "games we play all the time." Although you'll be forced to learn a bunch of new rules, you'll discover new games that can become part of the regular rotation.

If anyone actually uses this idea, I'd love to hear about it 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!

November 25, 2023: Holiday Game Picks From Denise Dow

With the holidays just around the corner, Steve Jackson Games has some great games to play or to give! My personal selections would be: Munchkin Gift Pack , which features three Munchkin games in one boxed package. It includes the elusive  Munchkin Grimm Tidings , which you might not be able to find anywhere else! Munchkin Tails of the Season , a supplement for Munchkin Tails that features fun holiday puns and festive art from Katie Cook. Munchkin Black Friday , an assortment of Munchkin cards with themes and rules related to this unique tradition of American consumerism.Of course, you can't forget two of the coolest holiday games in our lineup: Bad Christmas , the only game out there that features a Wind-Up Fruitcake. We think. The 12 Dice of Christmas , possibly the only game out there that simulates the holiday shopping experience.Is this a plug to sell our holiday-themed games? Why, yes! (Is it working?!) Seriously, these games are quick, fun, and won't break the bank. Plus, they'll make great Secret Santa gifts for those office parties, friend gatherings, and family members you only see this time of the year! And we have matching gift tags and holiday cards that are FREE to download!

You'll even find some of these favorites on sale! Head over to Warehouse23.com to shop, and maybe you'll find just what you're looking for!

– Denise Dow

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!

November 24, 2023: Shop Small Today, Shop Small Every Day

We at Steve Jackson Games are passionate about supporting other small companies. In honor of this year's Small Business Saturday, we've compiled a list of some of our favorite shops that are based on nerd and gaming culture. Many of these awesome businesses also donate a portion of their proceeds to support fantastic charities. Shop small this holiday season and every day, and remember to stop by your Favorite Local Game Store. 1. Found Familiar CoffeeAre you looking for a great way to start your morning? Check out Found Familiar Coffee, whose blends are based on Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop role playing games. Some of their varieties, available in whole bean and ground, include Fae Magic (Waykan Guatemala medium roast), False Life (decaf espresso), and Thieves' Cant (a super-secret blend). A portion of sales are donated to businesses and causes that are themed around TTRPGs. Our Marketing Manager, Katie, is a total Found Familiar fanatic and can attest to their fantastic flavors. And let's be honest - one can never have enough coffee! 2.  Meeple Shirts Meeple Shirts is the site to visit if you love humorous gifts based around gaming. You can find a beer glass that proclaims its contents to be a "Potion of Greater Hops with 4D4 + 4 Taste" and a doormat with a d20 and the quote "Keep On Rollin'." If you always play the same color, you'll enjoy shirts, coasters, mugs, and tumblers that say "I'm Always Green" (or your color of choice!) so your gaming companions know the meeple you'll choose. 3.  The Bear and Wolf Studio The Bear and Wolf Studio has some of the most amazing hand-painted 3D-printed geeky decor we have ever seen! If you're an avid reader, consider bookends and book nooks featuring The Two Towers, Bag End, Cthulhu, and dragons. If music is more your jam, you can store your headphones on a bust such as a Na'vi from Avatar or Thanos and Hulk from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Don't forget about board games - they have a huge selection of dice towers, dice storage, and many more accessories. The best part? There is free shipping on every product! 4. Giant Turtle Creations If you'd like to take your gaming experience to the next level, look no further than Giant Turtle Creations on Etsy. This small business produces an extensive variety of nerdy items. Display your Amazon device in a Stargate Echo Dot holder or place your favorite drink on a Stargate coaster set. More into board games? Go through their huge collection of accessories, which includes a humorous jail for bad dice, a hot air balloon dice tower, and game component upgrades. Spruce up your fashion with d20 earrings and a variety of mini dice bracelets. 5. Dryad Tea Tea lovers everywhere will enjoy the specialty brews created by Dryad Tea. Choose teas inspired by games and fandoms inclusive of TTRPGs (You Happen Upon A Tea Shop…,) Alice in Wonderland (Merry Unbirthday,) Marvel (Loki's Kiss,) and others. Infuse your favorite with a d20 infuser that comes in a variety of colors. If you just can't get enough of these delicious concoctions, you can join their Tea of the Month Club! 6. Geek Tropical Geek Tropical is an incredibly unique nerdy small business clothing store. Each high-quality shirt is made sustainably, supports small artists, and a portion of sales benefit charities including the Stan Lee Foundation, the Coral Reef Alliance, and Critical Role. When you're sitting down to play a TTRPG, rock a D&D adventures printed button-up shirt. For animal lovers, you'll find one featuring sloth and otter astronauts in space. One of our favorites is printed with a space retro arcade video game pattern. And check out this Daily Illuminatior about their Munchkin shirts! They also offer bucket hats for shoppers who have 1990s nostalgia. 7. Fantasy Cosmetica For those with a passion for makeup, Fantasy Cosmetica has products to create your most amazing look. You can choose to search by your favorite class: warlock, sorcerer, druid, or bard. The highly-pigmented shadows come packaged as individual pans, 9-shade pallets, and bundles of multiple items. The lipsticks are vibrant and the perfume scents are lovely. You'll be the star of your next TTRPG session when you arrive wearing these stunning colors! 8. Artovision 3D If you are hoping to adorn your home with unique, fandom-themed artwork, check out Artovision 3D. Many of their unique art pieces are themed to games such as Street Fighter, Among Us , Settlers of Catan , and Halo . For nature lovers, there are shadow boxes featuring Saguaro National Park and Denali National Park. Each distinctive and handmade box has free shipping. With over 300 varieties of shadow boxes and desktop art pieces, we guarantee you will find something you love! 9. Her Universe Specializing in Fangirl Fashion, Her Universe is an extraordinary business founded by Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ahsoka in the epic Star Wars series The Clone Wars. If you love Star Wars, Disney, Doctor Who, The Hunger Games, and other fandoms, there is something here for you! Sport a Thirteenth Doctor sweater or see into your future with a Star Trek: The Next Generation Tarot Deck and Guidebook. They also sell the extremely popular Loungefly mini backpacks. I myself carry these fun bags every day and my husband and I have several clothing items from the store. Their Our Universe line includes fashion for men such as pajamas, button up shirts, cardigans, and other nerdy accessories. Sign up with your email address to score a 30% off coupon! 10. Friday Afternoon Tea Friday Afternoon Tea is a specialty tea shop that bases their blends on different fandoms. Represented are Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Alice in Wonderland, and others. If you love mythology and pirates, there are also teas for you! These tasty teas help to raise funds for meaningful charities including the National Network of Abortion Funds, the Association for Creatine Deficiencies, and the Free to Be Me Transgender Education Network of Texas. 

– 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!

November 23, 2023: Forging New Traditions

I've cooked, or helped to cook, a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for the past 50-mumble years. I'm really pretty good at all of it, and I actually enjoy it, especially the pie thing. But I found myself rather at loose ends this year.

My partner has always been very understanding of my desire to spend this particular holiday with my family, so we haven't had to do the "one year with your people, one year with my people" thing. (He also knows how to weave a mean lattice crust for a cherry pie, but don't tell him I told.)

Back to the loose-end thing – we needed to shake things up, so I found myself reaching out to his family and basically inviting ourselves over for dinner. (In case you were wondering, I will be baking your basic cornbread dressing and your non-basic peppermint brownies.)

The whole point of this is that his sister was telling me about dinner, and then she said, "And after dinner, we'll play games." I was intrigued. Now, my coworkers will be the first to tell you that I am not a big game player. (Crazy, I know.) But I was excited that this was part of their family tradition because we work so hard to bring games to game tables and encourage family play. And this family plays! So I'll be taking Gelatinous as well as my brand-new unopened copy of Really Loud Librarians .

I'm excited to do something different this year and stoked to see which games they bring to the table!

I hope all of you have a safe, friendly place to spend the day, family or good friends to spend it with, and that you also get to play a game or three. (Feel free to tell us on the Forums what some of your traditions are and what games you play!)

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here at Steve Jackson Games!

– Susan Bueno

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!

November 22, 2023: Today's Gaming Tip: Jewelry Boxes

I'm often on the lookout for cool gaming accoutrements for my own personal hoards of dice or other tiny accessories. I don't know if this is a truth universally acknowledged, but one trick I've found in perusing thrift stores in recent years has been to watch for interesting or unusual jewelry boxes. They often have nifty locks or opening mechanisms, are usually made of wood (about as timeless a material as you can get at the gaming table), and inexpensive. I probably have a half dozen of them in various shapes and forms, and none of them I've spent more than a few dollars on. Plus they often look weathered or well-loved, which just adds to the "long-forgotten treasure" appeal.

If you're crafty with wood or other accessories, you can add dividers, decals, or other improvements. But I've found many such boxes usable right off the shelf.

As a bonus tip, they're great for thumb drives, memory cards, or other tiny things that a desk might hypothetically want to eat.

– 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!

November 21, 2023: Family Ties

Ever consider where you came from? I don't mean, "Austin, Texas," but, "Where are my roots?" I did! 

More than 30 years ago – 1987, to be exact – I had just graduated high school, and I was living at home with my parents in California (yes, I am that old). I was told we were going to Santa Barbara for a family reunion on my grandmother's side. At this point, I only knew, or thought I knew, that my grandma had three sisters. Boy, was I wrong! My grandmother was one of seven children. Her mother, my great-grandmother, was one of twelve! I didn't even realize people had that many children, because everyone I knew had maybe three!

We spent the day with people I had never met before. I was a shy 18-year-old, but they were family! Family who lived in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and other parts of California. Because they lived so far away, I had never had the chance to meet them! I remember that we ate tacos from a taco stand they had brought in to cater, and we played baseball and broke a piñata. It was a blast!

By the time I got back home, something had clicked deep inside of me. I started to gather information on my relatives – who was related to whom, who married whom, how many kids they had, and so on. By the following year's family reunion, my research had unlocked the whole generation before us! The genealogical bug had bitten me, and I became obsessed with who was related to whom, and how.

Today I have six family trees going, and I am currently attending an online school to become a Genealogical Researcher. 

What's the point of this story? Family! Sometimes, family is all we have. Do they have to be related to you by blood? No, not necessarily! Family are people who are there for you no matter what happens in your life. Family can be co-workers, neighbors, best friends from high school, or those actual blood-related family members. Family loves you for who you are, no matter what.

This is where the roots come in. Roots can be a tangled mess under a beautiful tree. You can't untangle them, but you can embrace them for what, or who, they are.

– Denise Dow

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!

November 20, 2023: Quick-And-Easy Gaming Tip: SMTP Edition

If you're in an roleplaying-game campaign that's remotely modern day, consider setting up an email address for a main character, and use that to send out "in-universe" emails to the players during downtime. It's a good way to provide background info, clues, or other fun tidbits, and make the setting feel more alive. And it's just plain fun to get email from secret-agent EsperantoSharkblood@...

Oh, and for those who might be curious (such as my own kiddo), I guess I should explain: So, that envelope icon on your device – the one with the red oval and a ludicrously large number in it? That's the "email" app . . .

– 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!

November 19, 2023: What Is Your Koala?

Before my mom passed away, she had a koala collection. I'm not sure how it started, but by the time I became fully aware of it, it was a nontrivially large menagerie of myriad stuffed, ceramic, and otherwise iconographic koala memorabilia. I'm not sure how much she enjoyed them, but at a certain point, I suspect such things take on a life of their own. Koalas outnumbered humans many times over in the home, and I suspect we were only kept safe by their 20-hour sleep cycles combined with the fact that they weren't real.

Nikki Vrtis (who just hit the 25% editing mark for  GURPS [FNORD] ) has become associated with Grogu and the Mandalorian, so she gets a lot of merch related to the show: stickers, stuffed toys, potholders, etc. In my own circle, I've somehow become known as the "Doctor Who guy," which means I end up with a nontrivial amount of TARDIS trinkets, sonic screwdrivers, shirts . . . This is despite the fact that I have a ludicrous number of hobbies, and could just as easily become known as the "Mystery Science Theater 3000 guy" if more goodies were available for it.

So . . . "What's your koala?" Do you have a some hobby or property that becomes the backbone of gifts you receive? I'm curious to hear any experiences on the forums. And – with the holidays approaching – now's a great time to reaffirm this love to friends and family, perhaps guiding along the lines of, "I already have an Infinity Gauntlet, but if you see a Captain America shield or Wolverine claws . . ." Or you might offer loved ones new wish-list possibilities if your own "koala collection" is in a good state and you'd appreciate something different. (Perhaps bring a notepad to your favorite local game shop or search Warehouse 23 for fresh ideas.)

– 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!