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Illuminated Site of the Week
July 31, 2006: The Incredible Plush Discworld
This is Brighid Hurtubise. We met her at Conclave in New Zealand, along with her father, Josef. This is their project, which, without disrespect to the wonders of Weta Workshop, was the neatest thing we saw that whole weekend: the Incredible Plush Discworld.
In this photo, you can see Great A'Tuin, the huge turtle, who has his own convention nametag. You can see the blue water flowing over the edge of the Discworld where it sits atop the four elephants. You cannot see the actual Discworld map from this angle, because, of course, it's FLAT.
Warehouse 23 News: As Fun To Say As It Is To Play
Carcassonne may be more of a word than our Austin-based Texas tongues can wrap around, but it sure is fun to try. Funner still, though, is actually opening the box, taking out the pieces, and playing with them. Which we plan to do. Just as soon as we learn to say Carcassonne . . .
July 30, 2006: New Control, Same As The Old Control
And no, that has nothing to do with his age.
The time has come to pass the torch of Control, who coordinates all our MIB activities. Colm Lundberg of Ireland has been stellar during his tenure, and we're sorry to see him go. But hey, it isn't every day one gets a chance to [FNORD], now is it?
Taking over the position is a very familiar face -- Mark Schmidt, who was the Control BEFORE Colm. Mark found time to return to the helm, so we couldn't resist the chance to work with him. Again.
Farewell, Control, and good luck! Welcome, Control! Glad to have you back!
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: In The Beginning . . . Loading . . .
So, you've got yourself a copy of Fractal Mapper v7.0, and you've fractal'd up yourself a game world. But wait! You don't have anything to mark buildings or ships or other fantasy-related doo-dads! Gasp! Shock! Fear not, dear consumer, for Fractal Mapper: Symbol Pack 1 - Campaign World is there when you need it most.
Photos from our dolphin-watching trip. This was on the Dolphin Explorer, out of Auckland. Excellent, knowledgeable crew, and a nice boat . . . which was not nearly full, because this was the off season.
The first time we went, the sea was choppy, the boat had to travel slowly and couldn't get out very far, and we saw nothing at all. So the second try was half price. Seemed like a good gamble, and it paid off.
These are common dolphins. It was an hour before we saw any at all. Then "there's one!" Then a couple, then six or seven at a time, then hundreds. They followed the ship, and some of them escorted it in front, usually staying a few feet below the surface, as in these pictures.
And we saw whales, too . . . Bryde's Whales, a cow and calf together, and a male. They were breaking the surface in a pattern that the crew recognized, so we knew where to look and when. The photos I got of them are just "long black thing in the water," but still, wow. We saw whales.
Warehouse 23 News: Fiery Games From Fiery Dragon
Fans the flames of independence in Counter Strike Wargame: Algeria or fight the fires in the woods in Counter Strike Wargame: Smokejumpers. In either case, just be sure to keep the games away from an open flame, okay?
July 28, 2006: Illuminated Site of the Week: Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right, But This Tesseract Might
If you'll recall (and why shouldn't you . . . you've had your consciousness raised, yes?), the International Trepanation Advocacy Group plumped for holes in the head, that we might better see the world around us. But what if we were the world around us? That is, what if the world around the world was we? To approach this another way . . . okay, imagine a road . . . never mind. Trepanning Village State may be hard to navigate, but the problems are all in your mind. A unique piece of real estate, and if you're lost in reverie by the river, the river may also be lost in you. On you. Just go. -- Suggested by Kim Schmidt
Like it or not, the World Wide Network of Informational Highways is saturated with the kind of abuse to the English language that'd give Noah Webster an aneurysm were he still alive today. Still, we're happy to capitalize on a trend, and thusly offer the Eye Chart T-shirt.
July 27, 2006: The Amazing Screw-On Head, Tonight!
Fans of Mike Mignola, take note.
Not only is Hellboy Animated moving forward, but SciFi Channel is showing The Amazing Screw-On Head tonight (check your local listings for times).
Can't wait until tonight? Go to The Amazing Screw-On Head right now, and watch the entire pilot. That's right, the entire pilot. Be sure to give 'em feedback, too -- how else will they know what a good thing they've got on their hands?
What's The Amazing Screw-On Head about? Steampunk, Abe Lincoln, and a villain named "Emperor Zombie." Oh, and it's very, very funny, in the driest sense. Check it out!
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: One Good Floor Deserves Another
The first floor was creepy. The second floor was kooky. The attic? Well . . . it's liable to get you killed. But don't let a silly thing like your immortal soul keep you from playing The Haunting House 3: Don't Go in the Attic!.
At last, I'm getting around to showing you some of the best pictures from my Down Under trip. This is a pizza box from Hell Pizza, a chain in New Zealand. Check out their site.
I like these people. The business format is your standard "eat them there or get them delivered" pizza, but the pizza is GOOD - lots of interesting ingredients, and well cooked. The storefront was decorated with lots of Hellish kitsch.
And check out the box. The big box is what you get your pizza in. But you can punch out the smaller coffin-shaped box to hold your leftovers, saving fridge space. On the back it says "For Your Remains."
Is this cool, or what? I wish they'd come to Austin. I'd invest . . .
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: The Ultimate In Ultimicity
Hero System: The Ultimate Speedster can show you how to make heroes that are faster than a speeding bullet. The Ultimate Metamorph will get you heroes more malleable than a steaming . . . um, wad of clay.
That most shameless of munchkins, Igor, in his Star Munchkin gear, is now in space! Read John Kovalic's blog for the terrifying details!
Warehouse 23 News: Big Wigs Of Dark Days
It takes more than a brooding demeanor and a big, black tower to rule the world. Even someone as vile as Izrador needs some middle management. Midnight: Legends of Shadow is a candid look at the Night Kings and all the naughty naughtyness they've been up to.
was the title of my talk at the Texas Independent Game Conference on Sunday. I enjoyed putting together the presentation, and it drew some interesting comments and questions, so I was happy.
The basic thesis was that, while the business of modern mega-ultra-digital-game-publishers is a monstrosity all its own, there are very valid comparisons between the paper game business and the indie game business. And that, therefore, indie creators might profitably learn from some of the techniques that us paper-printing fossils are using.
Who knows? Perhaps I'll try to get an article out of it, or polish it up as a possible presentation for the Game Developers Conference.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Putting The "ARG!" In "Wargame"
If there's one thing monsters do best, it's beating one another into a wet, pulpy mess. This fine tradition is continued in Hordes: Primal, a war game about . . . well, having monsters beat each other into wet, pulpy messes. Um, bring a towel. (Oh, and it's available in hardcover too!)
Steve Jackson Games announces for release in October, 2006:
Horror has come to the happy town of Cotton Falls! The peaceful teddy bears have become . . . zombears! A few lucky survivors have barricaded themselves in the remaining buildings. Can they escape from . . . the
Evil Ted?
Break out of your base, find a vehicle, and escape from the hordes. Along the way, you'll find companions to help you survive the onslaught, and you'll collect equipment to defend yourself against the ravenous zombears -- and from your companions, when they become undead! Be the first to flee safely from the hungry hordes!
Evil Ted
is a twistedly cute take on the zombie genre, designed and illustrated by Kit Cox, with development by Steve Jackson.
Boxed game with 168 cards, rules, and die.
Stock #1365,
ISBN 1-55634-759-6.
$24.95.
Steve Jackson Games also announces for release in November, 2006:
GURPS Ultra-Tech
Weapons, Vehicles, and Gadgets
GURPS Ultra-Tech is the sourcebook for science-fiction
technology, from the near future to the farthest reaches of the imagination.
It's a valuable companion to GURPS Space, GURPS Bio-Tech, and GURPS Infinite Worlds, and an exceptional resource for any
character or campaign that needs technology from tomorrow . . . and beyond.
GURPS Ultra-Tech is full of personal equipment for heroes
and superheroes from TL9 to TL12, including:
- Weapons - from caseless assault carbines and monomolecular swords to
antimatter warheads and disassembler nano.
- Protection - How do you stop a nanomorph assassin with a field-jacketed X-ray
laser rifle? Try a dreadnought battlesuit and a personal force screen . . . .
- Medicine - Superscience can heal, rebuild, and improve on nature. Death
itself can become a temporary inconvenience. With cybernetics and neural interfaces, ultra-tech medical equipment and mind uploading, “medical miracles” become everyday occurrences.
- Transport - Air cars, hovertanks, tilt rotors, grav belts, supercavitating
minisubs, matter-transport booths – lots of ways to get where the action is,
for the adventurer on the go!
- As technology advances, the line between man and machine may become increasingly blurred. GURPS Ultra-Tech provides rules for establishing the capabilities and limitations of artificial intelligence, as well as templates for robotic or total cyborg bodies, from handy technical 'bots to shapeshifting nanomorphs.
And still more! Living biosuits, computer implants, holographic
projectors, psionic amplifiers, neutrino communicators, nanofactories, hyperspectral goggles, chameleon suits, repair paste, Dyson spheres – there's something for every
adventure at every tech level.
GURPS Ultra-Tech was written by David L. Pulver, co-author of the GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition, and author or co-author of over 60 other gaming books, and Kenneth L. Peters, the author of Transhuman Space: Spacecraft of the Solar System, and a co-author of Transhuman Space: Under Pressure.
This is the third edition of GURPS Ultra-Tech; it has been revised to the GURPS Fourth Edition rules. The oldest material included here dates back to the first edition of GURPS Space; other material was revised from the GURPS Third Edition versions of GURPS Ultra-Tech, GURPS Ultra-Tech 2, GURPS Cyberpunk Adventures, GURPS Psionics, GURPS Robots, and Transhuman Space.
From the edge of tomorrow to the star-flung future, GURPS Ultra-Tech can equip your characters and your campaign!
240 pages. Hardback.
Stock #01-0104,
ISBN 1-55634-753-7.
$34.95.
-- Paul Chapman
What's better than Magic & Mayhem? More Magic & Mayhem! This supplement for the World of Warcraft Roleplaying Game contains more magic than a +4 vorpal Ouija board and more mayhem than a wolverine hopped up on PCP.
July 22, 2006: Our 1,000th Digital Product: GURPS Space
We just hit our 1,000th product on e23, and the product is GURPS Space! Er, no, we didn't plan it that way. Honest.
We'll be exceeding 1,000 soon enough. For the moment I'm just going to bask in the big, round number.
-- Thomas Weigel
Warehouse 23 News: The Plush Time To Roll With Me
What's more sinister: a six-sider with a scary eye on it or a twenty-sider? Snakes are overtly frightening, sure, but there's a subtle evil to a twenty-sided die that you just can't quite place . . .
July 21, 2006: Illuminated Site of the Week: Heil, Eris? Heil, Yes
Got your life in order? Time for the pendulum to swing the other way. Your loving goddess misses you, and that's why she's offering the POEE | UK Resource Centre. The Principia Discordia is just the tip of the golden iceberg. Files, fun, and rampant consumerism are the (dis)order of the day. Note this site isn't intended for the easily offended, nor those with a closed mind, though it can help you with those if you're straddling the fence. -- Suggested by Steve Kerinski
Warehouse 23 News: A Night Light For Some Shadowy Rules
In the sprawl, you can only go so far on a big gun, a little chrome, and a cool coat. If you'd like a helping hand to get going on your clandestine capers, Shadowrun: On the Run is for you. On the other hand, if you like having your face mushed in, feel free to keep wandering the Barrens at night.
Expeditious Retreat Press released the final volume in their Monster Geographica series a while back, and I've been waiting impatiently (I've been a fan since A Magical Society) for Fiery Dragon Productions to complete the Counter Collection supplement for it. The fifth and final collection (Perilous Heights) is out as of last night, so those of us at SJ Games who also run D&D campaigns (shhh!) can now better visualize tearing our players' characters apart . . . no matter what part of the world they run to.
It's not one of our products (though we sell it on e23) and it's not really illuminated (unless you're a GM), but it's nifty in a peanut butter and chocolate sort of way.
Plus, I get to brag that I got mine before everyone else (and I mean everyone).
Well, except for the Fiery Dragon folks. But everyone else. You can't even find this elsewhere yet.
-- Thomas Weigel
Getting into Mage: The Awakening? Boston Unveiled gets you a "where," Guardians of the Veil can be your "who," Legacies: The Sublime would be a "how," and Sanctum & Sigil is rather "why-ish." But the Storyteller's Screen? Hrm. Truly a mystery for our age . . .
July 19, 2006: The Texas Independent Game Conference
is a new event here in Austin, in its first year, but with a great program and speaker lineup. Including me . . .
It's this weekend. Here's their website.
I'll be speaking Sunday at 11:30 in the morning on "Lessons from the Old School" . . . specifically, some of the ways in which digital game development is very like traditional small-publisher "paper" game operations, and how the indie developer can profit from the mistakes we've made over the years rather than repeating them.
It promises to be an interesting weekend, and registration's a bargain compared to the more established conferences . . . if you're interested in the digital side of the game business, and within a few hours' drive of Austin, come listen to Warren Spector and Greg Costikyan and, well, me.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Let It Go To Your Head
When faced with the unspeakable, unreadable, unbelievable horrors of the Big Green Dude's mythos, one spends a fair deal of one's time keeping one's head on one's shoulders. Perhaps one could convince one's cult-like enemies to leave it there if one wore a Call of Cthulhu: Cthulhu Hat.
Where do you find them? In science fiction, of course.
Also in Italy. Read the story at physorg.com.
Warehouse 23 News: A Plethora Of Beasts You Can't Even Begin To Pronounce
The Hero System: Asian Bestiary (and its sister-book, Asian Bestiary II) is full of exotic, wondrous, and otherwise unfamiliar critters the likes of which you've never seen before! Unless you live in Asia, of course. Or study Asian folklore. But, uh, for the rest of us, it's neat!
Sealand, the self-proclaimed independent nation on an old antiaircraft platform off the English coast, recently suffered a devastating fire. Originally, Sealand appears to have been merely an exercise in cheek - "Hey, let's occupy that deserted platform before it falls down, and declare ourselves independent!" It has its own royal family, currency, and coinage, as described on its official website. It also has internal politics, which have from time to time become violent . . . here's the site of the government in exile, ejected after a failed coup!
No nation recognized Sealand, but nobody threw them off, either.
A few years ago, cypherpunks were eagerly anticipating Sealand's transformation into the first real "offshore data haven.". It doesn't seem to have worked out. The Royal Family of Sealand estimates it will take a million dollars to repair their nation, and they're taking donations.
The moral? No independent nation should be without fire insurance.
(We should also point out that Pyramid subscribers got to read about Sealand last year . . . although we weren't cleared to reveal future information about the fire at that time.)
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Big. Scaly. Promiscuous.
Let's face it, dragons will . . . spread their genetic lineage to any species that's even vaguely compatible with their . . . chromosomes. The result? A wide variety of Races of the Dragon for your d20 campaign.
Our server upgrades continue . . . the new UltraCorps server has actually been set up for a while, moving toward code-readiness, and today it started serving up game turns.
Warehouse 23 News: Seventh Time's The Charm
Remember back in the late 70s there was this neat little alternative to D&D designed by Ken St. Andre? Of course you do! We checked our Memromats to make sure you were programmed with those memories. Anyway, Tunnels & Trolls: 30th Anniversary Edition marks the 7th edition of a timeless classic.
July 15, 2006: GURPS In Chinese . . . Help!
We are now caught up with the fan-created translations of GURPS Lite . . . except for two. And the Spanish one is out of our hands at the moment, but will soon be in your hands; layout is done and the translator is putting some final tweaks on it.
That leaves Chinese.
Thanks to the efforts of Martin Barela, we have a text file for Lite in Simplified Chinese. But we can't lay it out. We now know that it's simply impossible to handle a Chinese-character file with an English edition of Quark, and probably any other layout program. (Perhaps we should have known that a year ago, but the problem had never arisen here before . . .)
So at this point, all we can do is ask: Is there anyone out there who possesses a layout program that will work with Chinese, who will volunteer to take Martin's text and format it as a usable PDF to distribute with the other versions of GURPS Lite?
If so, please drop me a line at sj@sjgames.com. Thanks!
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Genealogic Manipulation
King's Blood is a great deal cuter than the name might imply. Manipulate a royal family tree to serve your own sinister desires whilst enjoying the distinctly Japanese art work. And hey, no electric pet monsters or angsty prepubescents with super powers! Wai wai!
July 14, 2006: Illuminated Site of the Week: There's Nothing Safe About It
The documentation is all here. What was Kennedy's schedule on his last day in office? Read his diary. What's our government really think about terrorists? Discover the "Status of Jihad." Whatever happened to the remote viewing program? Its mysteries are laid bare in the Stargate program report . . . hey, who's breaking whose copyright here? The Black Vault is like a safety deposit box of dark knowledge, but on this heist, the contents take you. -- Suggested by Chris Braddy
Warehouse 23 News: It's Silver, Right?
Aw, who cares, Rifter will likely be happy if you just buy a copy of The Best of Rifter to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Heck, if you still feel like spending money, Rifts: Adventures in Dinosaur Swamp is pretty nice.
Fnordcast!
Yes, Steve Jackson Games has joined the millions of people talking about games, gaming, and geek culture in the mp3 format. We, like so many others, will have reviews of new products and reports from conventions.
What we'll have that you won't find anywhere else is frequent segments by top game designers like Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch and Steve Jackson. We'll also be previewing books and games in the production process, giving you a peek behind the curtain of a game company.
Of course, we could do much, much more. But what direction should we take? Send us your feedback at fnordcast@sjgames.com or head over to the Fnordcast forum. Let us know what you'd like to hear!
Fnord!
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: It's The Thought That Counts
The fact that you'll make a boatload of cash in the process is just a nice side effect. You're really in it to save the kingdom. Right. Assemble your Hunting Party and get started deciphering that prophecy! The fate of an empire hangs in the balance.
July 12, 2006: GURPS High-Tech Playtesters Needed!
GURPS High-Tech is the GURPS Fourth Edition guide to TL5-8 equipment, by Shawn Fisher and Hans-Christian Vortisch. It contains entire chapters on survival equipment, body armor, medicine, and firearms (and how to use them), plus a short selection of vehicles for adventurers. The Third Edition treatment of the subject was inspirational, but this isn't a revision -- it's a new book. For instance, a far larger fraction of the work is dedicated to the hundreds of important technological gadgets that aren't weapons. Of course, there are still many "modern" weapons -- small and large -- as well as related equipment and detailed rules on how to use all those guns (complete with new perks, techniques, and a Gun Fu template!). Another important difference is a total restructuring to provide a catalog organized by use rather than by tech level. High-Tech should be indispensible for all campaign types set at TL5-8.
We will conduct the High-Tech playtest on a closed mailing list between July 24 and September 1, 2006. Only Pyramid subscribers are eligible to participate, and list membership is limited to 40 people. Interested parties should write to Sean Punch by no later than July 19, 2006. The subject line must read "[HT] Playtest" or the application won't be accepted. Applications should be brief: name, e-mail address, Pyramid user ID, a short sentence on your experience with GURPS, and an equally brief sentence on your experience with guns, gear, and gadgets. Our only biases will be toward people who are clearly conversant with the Fourth Edition rules and those who demonstrate an ability to follow these instructions to the letter. Please note that as we anticipate many replies, we cannot respond to individual applications.
Interested but not a Pyramid subscriber? Subscribe today!
-- Sean Punch
Warehouse 23 News: Global Superpowers
Melting pot though we may be, the U.S. is hardly the only country sitting on this sphere. Similarly, who's to say that we hold the patent on super-powered activity? Champions Worldwide provides you with the good, the bad, and the god-like from all over the world. And just to keep things interesting, the UNTIL Superpowers Database II gives you even more ways to spice up the property damage.
One of the very best webcomics in the history of the universe, Narbonic, is now readable for free. Yes, all the way from the beginning to the current strip. So don't just sit there: follow the link, read today's strip, wonder what's going on here, go back to the beginning, and enjoy yourself.
Hmm. Better make popcorn first. This will take a while.
-- Steve Jackson
If the captain is gonna go down with his ship, it might be a good idea for him to see what he's getting himself into. Literally. That's why Mongoose Publishing has put out deck plans for Babylon 5, starting with the Hyperion Ship Plans and G'Quan Ship Plan.
After a long hiatus, the Omniscient Eye is returning to Pyramid.
The Omniscient Eye brings you answers to real-world questions to use in your gaming. Ever wondered whether it's plausible to have a secret headquarters in the middle of a crowded city? How much it costs to buy a kingdom and how to go about buying it? How much journalists and other amateur investigators can legally get away with? And where are all the flying cars? Ask the Omniscient Eye. There are two ways you can get involved:
Got Questions?
The Omniscient Eye seeks to answer questions that are tied to knowledge of the real world, providing information with a perspective that is of use to gamers. The Omniscient Eye does not concern itself with specific game systems or statistics.
Do you have a question for the Omniscient Eye? Feel free to send it to pyramidquestions@yahoogroups.com, and the Omniscient Eye might answer it!
Got Answers?
Are you an expert in a real-world discipline? If so, the Omniscient Eye wants you. We want doctors, lawyers, scientists, professional public policy experts, government officials, engineers, law enforcement officers, professors, and anyone else with in-depth expertise in real-world subjects to answer questions. If you're interested in becoming an expert and answering the occasional question for the Eye, send your name, email address, and a brief summary of your field of expertise to the Omniscient Eye feature editor at iron.llama@gmail.com.
Warehouse 23 News: Sweet Home Chicago
The things that go bump in the night now have a place to bump shoulders: the Windy City. The World of Darkness: Chicago serves as an intersection of blood-suckers, spell-slingers, and shape-shifters for people who like their worlds nice and dark. But, ah, a little advice before you shout "road trip"? Check out The World of Darkness: Armory first. Better safe than sorry.
Two of the most popular questions which Websurfers asked to be posed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in hopes he would answer them on a live webcast, included . . .
- whether he will use giant humanoid robots to defend Russia, and
- what he thinks about the rising of Cthulhu.
Or so we were assured earlier this week by a Reuters story. Go read it; see for yourself!
But the webcast has now taken place, and news reports didn't mention either of these issues at all, focusing instead on Putin's explanation of why he had kissed a young boy on the stomach.
Clearly, he did it to DISTRACT US! And it worked! The interviewers were completely put off! What does this mean? If Cthulhu is about to rise, and Putin is deploying an army of giant robots to protect the Russian heartland, isn't this IMPORTANT? Rise up, people of Russia and the world! Demand the truth!
-- Steve Jackson
No, not a confused bovine. We're talking about Call of Cthulhu: Miskatonic University, that center of learning at the center of the Mythos. What dark secrets does the library hold? Who wanders its hallowed halls by night? What frats want to sacrifice you to an unpronounceable evil?
Back and mostly recovered, even! The long-standing tradition of suffering some sort of aliment continues, as my "raspy voice from yelling" mutated into "head cold."
Origins itself was great fun. I spent nearly all of it manning the Steve Jackson Games section of the Adventure Retail booth, answering questions about GURPS Fourth Edition and doing the Exact Change Dance.
A huge thank-you! to the MIB team, led by Walter Schirmacher. I lost count of the times a fan walked up and said, "I got a demo of this game last night, and now I must have it!" It does a marketing guy good to hear things like that.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: Adventure! Glory! Lots Of Cards!
Fight evil, back-to-back with your buddies . . . or turn around and stab them in that very same back. Quest Cards: Game Set 1 easily accommodates both. There's a sort of beautiful symmetry in that, don'tcha think?
July 7, 2006: Illuminated Site of the Week: Step One: Achieve Orbit
You thought they were kidding when they said you would need this information someday. You ignored your parents and your teachers, and where are you now? That's right. Sitting at the game table, playing Transhuman Space, and wishing you had a better grasp of physics. The JPL has shown you more pity than you deserve, priming you with the Basics of Space Flight. The layout of our solar system, navigating things, working out your trajectory - all the stuff you slept through in class. But pay attention, because there actually will be a quiz later. -- Suggested by Bob Portnell
Warehouse 23 News: You Are Here. Or Maybe Here . . .
Look, here, you take the map and you figure it out. The definitive guide to the kingdoms of Blue Rose, The World of Aldea describes all the people and places of note in Aldea. Provided you can figure out which way is north . . . How does a compass rose work again?
Several more out-of-print GURPS books are now scanned and available on e23, including:
Warehouse 23 News: Your Guide To Vampire: The Eternal Struggle
If you find yourself in need of a little guidance in the fine art of playing Vampire: The Eternal Struggle, then we recommend the Vampire The Eternal Struggle Player's Guide. Tactics, deck building strategies, it's all here.
So . . . if you think you can create a mean spaceship, check out the UltraCorps news page.
The situation is dire, very dire, but in a fun sort of way. The Runebound: Midnight Expansion takes one successful board game, merges it with a successful RPG, and the result is a sort of peanut-butter-and-chocolate scenario. A bleak, desperate fantasy world never tasted so good.
Our office will be closed today for Independence Day. Some or all of us will be doing some or all of: getting together with families, setting off fireworks, working on the NEXT Munchkin game (the one whose title we haven't announced), mowing the lawn, and being grateful that we live in America. Thank you, George Washington; thank you, Ben and Abe and Teddy and Ike; thank you all.
And, of course, some of us are recovering from Origins, and we hope to have a report for you soon!
Cyber, steam, or goth? Or all three? Etherscope combines enough "punk" genres to make something altogether new. Grab your top hat and jump into the game with the core book or snatch up a copy of Etherscope: Just a Delivery for an introduction to something instantly familiar yet totally foreign.
July 3, 2006: Munchkinly Victory Is Mine!
Tara Moscovitch sent us this photo. Is this great, or what?
She writes:
My husband and I got hooked on playing Munchkin a couple years ago and have
since attracted many of our friends to the game. As often as we can, we play into the wee hours of the night. Recently, we joked about making a trophy that the winner could keep until the next time we played. Well, I got inspired and made my very own Munchkin trophy out of papier-mache-covered aluminum foil! I have included a photo of the 1.5 foot figure that reads "Munchkinly Victory is Mine!" at the base.
Thanks to Steve Jackson, John Kovalic, and others whose whacky cards give us
so many laughs.
Stabbing my buddies with pleasure,
Tara M.
While most fantasy adventurers only see their world from sea-level down, there is that odd occasion where they peek out of the dungeon like treasure-laden groundhogs, curious if rumors were true about that whole "sun" thing. Should this ever actually happen in your group, you may wish to have A Magical Society: Ecology and Culture on hand.
July 2, 2006: Infinite Worlds Wins Origins Award
GURPS Infinite Worlds was named Best Roleplaying Supplement of 2005 at this year's Origins Award ceremony. Congratulations to Kenneth Hite, Mike Ford, and SJ, and to editor Andrew Hackard and illustrator Bob Stevlic, for a great piece of work!
You can read the entire winner list on GamingReport.com.
Good as it is to be the king, it's even better to be the prince. In Vampire: Prince of the City, players compete with fellow blood suckers to see who gets this most honored position by being as dishonorable as possible.
São Paulo, that is. Which is where I am for XIV Encontro Internacional de RPG on July 1-2, courtesy of Devir Livraria. If you're in the area, then please stop by the convention and look me up! I don't get many opportunities to meet Brazilian gamers -- or to be in South America at all, for that matter -- so I plan to take full advantage of the situation. Sleep? Who needs sleep? Brazil is the land of guarana and the world's #1 coffee grower!
-- Sean Punch
Breaking News! GURPS Infinite Worlds has won the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Supplement. Our friends over at Atlas Games picked up the Best Card Game for Gloom. I'll post a complete list in tomorrow's Illuminator.
-- Paul Chapman
Warehouse 23 News: From The Ashes Of Defeat, Something Not Unlike Victory
Let's face it, the Minbari cleaned Earth's clock seven ways to Sunday. Or so they say. Are you going to take their word for it, or are you willing to fork over a few bucks and get the whole story? It's all in the Babylon 5: A Call To Arms - Earth/Minbari War Campaign Book. Know the massacre in its entirety for the first time.
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