Steve Jackson's Blog, page 90

June 2, 2023: Tribes, By David Brin And Steve Jackson, Returns On Kickstarter

Tribes , an underground classic somewhere between a board game and roleplaying game, is about Stone Age politics and survival. As cave men and women, players gather food, make tribal laws, and deal with natural disasters. Ultimately, all that matters is survival; to win, you need to have the most living children. Now, Tribes is coming back in a streamlined and upgraded Second Edition – the Kickstarter has already funded, and will run through Wednesday afternoon. For Tribes , I had the pleasure of collaborating with science fiction author David Brin, who shares my interest in exactly what it is that makes us human. It was a very satisfying project; David is fun to correspond with and to work with, and could become a game designer any time he grows tired of writing bestselling novels. He also worked with Stefan Jones to create a roleplaying sourcebook for his Uplift novel sequence; GURPS Uplift is still one of my favorites, though long out of print. A bit about my distinguished co-designer, then . . . David Brin is a scientist, tech speaker/consultant, and author. A film by Kevin Costner was based on Brin's novel The Postman. Brin's 16 novels, including NY Times bestsellers and Hugo Award winners, have been translated into more than twenty languages. Several of them foreshadow global warming, pandemics, biotech, AI, cyberwarfare, and the World Wide Web. His Uplift Series is one of the most popular and influential in science fiction literature. In Earth and Existence he explores trends that may transform our world in a dangerous-but-hopeful near future.  As a scientist/futurist, David is seen frequently on television shows such as The ArchiTechs, Universe, and Life After People, with frequent appearances on PBS, BBC and NPR. A patent-holding inventor, he is in demand to speak about future trends, keynoting for IBM, Google, Procter & Gamble, SAP, Microsoft, Qualcomm, the Mauldin Group, and Casey Research, all the way to think tanks and public agencies. With degrees from Caltech and the University of California-San Diego, Dr. Brin serves on advisory panels ranging from astronomy, NASA innovative concepts, nanotech, and SETI to national defense and technological ethics. His first non-fiction book – The Transparent Society: Will Technology Make Us Choose Between Freedom and Privacy? (1997) – won the Freedom of Speech Award of the American Library Association.  His next – VIVID TOMORROWS: Science Fiction and Hollywood (2021) – explores the messages, clichés, and memes that often go unnoticed, but help society shift under the influence of SF films. So if you'd like to see the game we did together, back when the Earth was young, visit the Kickstarter today!

– 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!

June 1, 2023: Munchkin Second Edition – NOT!

A common request over the years, at least from our distributors, is "Can we have a second edition of Munchkin ?"

This leads to a conversation that goes exactly like this:

Me: "What do we need to fix to create a second edition?"

Them: "Oh, there's nothing wrong. Just change something. We could sell a second edition like CRAZY."

Me: "Oh, I see. Well, I'll keep this in mind."

Me: (inside voice): . . . "when HELL freezes over."

Now, I like keeping the distributors happy . . . and I like things that sell like crazy. But I think that a second edition of Munchkin would be a terrible idea. Either all the changes would be cosmetic (in which case I'd be ripping you off) or some of them would be real and important (in which case, some or all of the old cards would become invalid and your investment goes down the drain). I'm not going there.

I'll tweak any rule that is unclear, but I won't declare a second edition when we don't need one. And we don't.

Please don't take this Illuminator as "virtue signaling." It's more like vice signaling. I am going to commit the mortal sin of turning down easy money. Maybe the distributors, many of whom are my friends and none of whom are my foes, will TAKE THIS HINT and stop asking for something I'm not willing to do.

– 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!

May 31, 2023: "Illuminati Jewelry" From 1989 . . . Now At Warehouse 23!

We're bringing back some of the Illuminati pins that you've been asking about for years.

You can order them today at our online store, Warehouse 23, and you can even enjoy the original article from 1989 if you wish. I've reprinted the 1989 announcement, below, but please remember that this is merely historical information and we are not currently offering these pins to distributors.

Please note the $3.50 price mentioned in the ancient (1989) ad below. That was in 1989 dollars, which is roughly the equivalent of $8.47 in today's dollars. What do we actually charge for these today? Only $4.50. You can order your pin here!

 

– Phil Reed



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!

May 30, 2023: Tribes On Kickstarter

We have activated the pre-launch page for the Kickstarter campaign for the second edition of Tribes.

In Tribes , you and your fellow players (4 to 8, plus an optional referee) will become cave men and women, facing the challenges of survival in a prehistoric world. Hunt and gather food, craft the basic tools you need, establish tribal laws, and deal with natural disasters, all while protecting and caring for your most precious resource: your children. The goal is simple but vital – have the most children who live to grow up! You have to put your offspring first, but a strong tribe benefits everyone too . . . balancing cooperation and self-preservation is the key.

So it's very much a competitive/cooperative situation.

Along with Dr. David Brin, author of the Uplift series and a whole lot of other excellent SF, I designed this game many years ago (not quite in the Paleolithic, but close). The first edition was well received in a "cult favorite" sort of way but was not formatted for store release . . . it was in a baggie. This edition is deluxe by comparison – mounted mini-gameboards, color counters, and erasable character sheets, all in a (heavy!) Pocket Box.

Please support, please play it, please tell us what you think!

– 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!

May 29, 2023: Crowdfunding Focus: Life-Sized Dino Figures

Do you want  life-sized dinosaur models?  . . . is that even a question? Limelight Miniatures, whose excellent work is featured in our upcoming Foes 2 collection, has 3D printable dinosaur models on Kickstarter, in – you guessed it – 1:1 scale. Naturally, they're some of the smallest species, and they come pre-hollowed and ready to print in pieces. This is not something I've seen anyone do before. And the results are spectacular .  This painted life-size Anchiornis huxleyi was done by Andy's Dinosaur Reviews on YouTube. Watch his full review here. You get a Cartorhynchus, Anchiornis huxleyi, Epidexipteryxhui, baby Archaeoceratops, Falcatus falcatus (yes, he knows it's a shark), and Nemicolopterus, an adorable pterosaur, each in several poses. They have nicely scupted bases that include the name and time period. It makes me want to start my own museum! There are 30 models in the Kickstarter, including the dinosaurs in multiple poses, models of several prehistoric mammals showing both the creature and the skeleton, and several skeletons scanned from museum specimens. And the reward with all the digital files is only £9 – or a bit over $11 for those of us who don't weigh our money. There's also an option for physical figures if you don't have access to a 3D printer. The campaign runs through Friday morning, so hurry before it goes extinct!

– 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!

May 28, 2023: Sneak And Stab For Fun And Profit!

When it comes to fighting the forces of darkness, sometimes you need friends who are pretty shady themselves. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Denizens: Thieves – by longtime GURPS avant-gardist Christopher R. Rice – greatly expands the options for thieves in GURPS Dungeon Fantasy . It includes variant professions, new lenses, powerful upgrades, and weapons that make a terrifying tomb worth scoping out.

With  GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Denizens: Thieves , you'll be taking chances – and everything else – like never before. Download it today, only from Warehouse 23!

– 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!

May 27, 2023: Munchkin Zombies Deluxe Returns In August!

Don't pay those high after-market prices for Munchkin Zombies Deluxe , gang! After being out-of-print for some time, we're happy to report that we're bringing Munchkin Zombies Deluxe back to the land of available games. This fourth printing has everything that you and your friends need to eat brains, gain levels, and win! 

It's the sickest, silliest Munchkin yet! You are zombies, kicking down doors and eating brains. The ""monsters"" you're attacking are people, some helpless and some hazardous, with a few rogue zombies thrown in. The armor is whatever you've blundered across during your lurching search for brains. So bravely you'll go forth, with mousetraps on your feet and a bowling trophy protecting your poor rotting head . . . to level up, or to die.

– Phil Reed

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!

May 26, 2023: Dungeon Fantasy Artifacts Now On Kickstarter

Artifacts of Legend ,   a two-book supplement for the  Dungeon Fantasy RPG , is live now on Kickstarter and runs through June 10. These books bring Gaming Ballistic's third-party support for the Dungeon Fantasy RPG  to a total of 19 titles. You may have seen or supported previous projects, like the Nordlond setting and much more.    Artifacts of Legend  (40 pages) includes nine artifacts on two-page spreads, plus a Legendary Item generator to create additional artifacts on demand. Artifacts of Saga (36 pages) has 11 more, including some help for Team Evil. All are easily transplanted to any setting, perfect for adding to an existing Dungeon Fantasy RPG campaign or crafting a new story using one of Gaming Ballistic's other settings.  Check out the campaign and back now to bring these books to life! 

– Douglas Cole

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!

May 25, 2023: Melee/Wizard Pocket Box Restock At Warehouse 23

We've listed copies of the Melee/Wizard Pocket Box on the Steve Jackson Games online store, Warehouse 23, and have stock for . . . well, for the moment. We don't know how long these will last, so please take advantage of this opportunity today if you want to get your hands on this retro-style combo pack of Steve's first two games in The Fantasy Trip line.

Two Great Games. One Classic Package. Originally released in 1977 and 1978, the two first releases in The Fantasy Trip series – Melee and Wizard – were out of Steve Jackson's reach during the eighties when the classic Pocket Box was first produced. Finally, we're able to present these two great games in an '80s-styled package, making this the "What If?" edition you're sure had to have existed in the early days of gaming.

Melee – Create characters in just a few minutes – then send them into the arena. Winners become stronger and faster for the next battle. Losers die. Each counter in this fast-moving game is a single warrior. Players choose weapons and tactics for their fighters and send them into combat against men, beasts, or monsters – to victory, or death.

Wizard – The magic companion to Melee – sorcerous combat, in the arena or in the dungeon. Create your wizard, choose their spells, and go into combat. Zap your foe with fireballs or lightning. Summon giants, dragons, and wolves to destroy them all. Or be subtle and entangle them with Magic Rope and Sticky Floor spells. Successful wizards gain skill and power. Losers die.

– Phil Reed

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!

May 24, 2023: Now Available On Demand: GURPS Powers . . . In Color!

They said it couldn't be done, but . . . no, wait. Hold on. We said it could be done, but there was a problem that kept it from being done at the time we wanted to do it in the first place. Hmm. That doesn't seem as pithy.

The point remains: GURPS Powers – the beloved sourcebook that adds four-color excitement to your GURPS Fourth Edition gaming table – is now available in print as part of our ever-popular On Demand program . . . in full color!

The On Demand page on our site has a special section devoted to all the color volumes we have available, so hopefully finding what you want is quicker and easier. We've been surprised and humbled at how popular the gamut of the GURPS  volumes have been, and we're working hard to expand our offerings as best we can to make it available 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!