Actually, when I say "part," I mean "printing." And when I say "two," I mean "second." And I guess those words should switch places, too. But "Two Part" wouldn't make any sense, would it?
Where was I going with this? Oh, right! Fairy Dust and Waiting for Santa have been reprinted, and will soon be on their way to our warehouse, set to arrive in late March. The bad news: The new printing does not have the foil effects. The good news: They look great anyway, and won't curl like the Canadians at the Winter Olympics.
Worlds of Wonder! You'll say "wow" every time you play it! And if you don't, we'll send someone in a white coat over to your house and he'll make you say "wow." Just so we're clear.
Warehouse 23 News: Perfect for the Axe Murderer in your Life
Like things with axes in them? Then, brother, have we got a game for you. Munchkin 2 - Unnatural Axe is all about the axe. So much so that we even put the word "axe" in the title.
In the game design world, many words are spent on the topic of creating your first design. That's where, the assumption goes, the magic happens -- the flashes of inspiration and madness that coalesce into a blend of mechanics and theme. That's where the action is.
The problem with that assumption is the implication that once you've got an established line, the design process is mechanical, and devoid of those "Wow!" moments. Not true, not true at all!
As evidence, I submit the developer's notes for Chez Cthulhu (shipping next month!), detailing the chilling adventures and mind-cracking meetings necessary to bring Cthulhu into the world of roommates. The only thing more "established" than the Chez line are the developers -- SJ himself and John Kovalic. While the magic in creating Chez Cthulhu was strongly eldritch flavored, and perhaps the laughter was a bit more maniacal, putting this game together was genuine fun from start to finish.
Is it a bird? A plane? A tree? A zombie? What the heck is that thing!? We have no idea, but we're pretty sure GURPS Spaceships 7: Divergent and Paranormal Tech has rules for putting it in your game.
National Geographic celebrated 50 years of exploration of our solar system with a nifty infographic. The illustration shows, in graceful spirals and curves, just how few of the hundreds of scientific instruments we've launched have actually looked at anything other than our closest planetary neighbors.
We wouldn't be so uncouth as to refer to the figures in Paper Miniatures: Modern Soldiers II Set as "toy soldiers." These are accurate representations of professional fighting men to be used in simulations of modern military engagements. (That said . . . they are a lot of fun.)
What happens when you mix together horror movies from the 1930s, the incomprehensible horrors of Lovecraft, and a pair of authors renowned for putting the "super" in "supernatural"? You get a messy blender, that's what. You also get Trail of Cthulhu: Shadows Over Filmland, a collection of adventures styled like classic horror movies that have been thoroughly Cthulhu'd by Kenneth Hite and Robin Laws.
Scott Maykrantz's GURPS Plant Magic expands the Plant college with 40 new spells. Use them to arm a druid, ranger, woodland elf, creepy gardener, spellcasting tree-man, or even a predatory witch in an enchanted forest. The spells cover a wide range of effects: deadly attacks, new curses, alteration, camouflage, and shaping wood into useful objects. In addition to new spells, this supplement also provides plant-related supporting information, including basic stats for all kinds of vegetation and modifiers for Plant Empathy and Speak With Plants.
We need playtesters for this new supplement. Playtesters should have access to the GURPS Basic Set, GURPS Magic, and possibly GURPS Thaumatology. Close examination of the new spells will be a major part of the playtest. Comments from those who actually try these spells in play will be especially welcome and encouraged. Playtesters aren't required to have previous experience; how well this material comes across to new readers is important information that will help make this a better book! We encourage first-time playtesters to apply for a reserved portion of slots available, as well as those with professional or other real-life experience with the subject matter: Botanists, those with knowledge of legendary or mystical plant/herb properties, and folks with green thumbs are especially welcome! Prospective playtesters will also need to be registered e23 customers who have spent more than $50 at e23 in the past 12 months.
Prospective playtesters should e-mail jwilson@io.com with [PM] (for "Plant Magic") in the subject, and include your preferred e-mail address for the closed playtest mailing list, correct spelling of your name as it may appear in print, your e23 login name, and a few words about your qualifications, experience, and current gaming group(s). Information about preferred submission formatting is in the forum post for this playtest call.
We have this game that you've probably never heard of called Munchkin. Basically, it distills the entire dungeon crawl genre into its base components and turns it into a card game. There are silly jokes and you get to stab your friends in the back. Good times all around. It hasn't seen much press, though, so we thought we'd take a second to mention it. With just a little more exposure, we think it could be pretty big.
I don't know if you've noticed, but it's the future now. Go ahead, look at a calendar. Specifically, look at what year it is. See? The future. Cool, huh? So if it's the future, then what the heck do we still need science fiction for? It's 2010! We're rockin' a moon base, and we have our cybernetic implants and our gengineered pets. We have laser bots and jetpacks and virtual reality and everyone wears shiny form-fitting jumpsuits all the time. Right?
No? Oh. I guess we still need sci-fi, then! Good thing, too. Otherwise, we'd never be able to sell Pyramid #3/15: Transhuman Space. That thing is nothing but science fiction. It has articles all about how wild and crazy the future will be when it gets here.
Kind of a pity, though. Now I have no idea what to do with this shiny form-fitting jumpsuit.
Just so we're clear, the Mystic Item Cards are not cards imbued with magical energy. Rather, they are cards that detail other items which are mystical. We just wanted to make that clear before anyone buys them and tries to face down a horde of undead dire squirrels with them or something. The last thing we need is another wrongful death lawsuit involving squirrels.
The AbleGamers Foundation is an advocate for gamers with disabilities. They estimate that 1 out of every 5 gamers is disabled in some way, and they'd like to see publishers pay more attention to accessibility. They're mainly about videogames, but they'll talk about "unplugged" games too.
Christian McDonald-Kelley interviewed me for AbleGamers.
Clip art is so named because once upon a time you actually clipped art out of one thing to use it in another. This was back when we used dinosaurs in construction and birds for record players. Nowadays we have tiny magical boxes that take care of everything for us, including the clipping of art. So really, Avalon Clip Art isn't so much "clip art" as it is "art that requires a minimal amount of effort to use with other stuff." But we suppose that doesn't fit nicely on, well, anything. "Clip art" it is, then!
No, that's not an unfortunate typo. That's an unfortunate PUN.
We're pleased to announce that Munchkin has just been released in both Simplified and Traditional Chinese translations, and that there will be a Finnish version of Munchkin coming out in 2010. These new translations will join their Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish cousins.
If you're a game company publishing in a language that we haven't listed, and you'd like to fill that urgent need, please contact our Director of Licensing with your product plan. (Please, existing publishers only. You WILL be asked to provide credentials.)
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Pyramid: Better than Friends
Has a friend or loved one recently told you that they "need space?" Give that person a copy of Pyramid #3/15: Transhuman Space! It has the word "space" in the title, you see. If he can't appreciate the inherent humor in that, he probably wasn't really a friend worth having anyway. In which case, we recommend you keep the magazine. It will be loyal and true.
January 22, 2010: Illuminated Site Of The Week: We Have A Lot To Talk About
Human consciousness, soul transference . . . these might seem like confusing subjects, but that's only because you haven't been to Earthscape yet. At that point, they become utterly baffling. If you're feeling down or self-destructive, that's just someone else riding shotgun on your soul and forcing you into weird behavior. Learn to understand the oversoul and its components (a "master soul unit" and seven individual soul units). The site puts your mind at ease about things like bionics - the writers realize that stories of aliens and shadow governments cast an unfair pall over these topics - and besides, the new hardware only inhabits your ethereal self.
What does five dollars get you these days? Some cheap sunglasses, maybe? Maybe a fancy-pantsy cup of coffee? How about an entire world? While the first two might make you look cool, the third will actually make you a fuller and more well-rounded person. So buy the Arcana Core Book today and revel in your inherent superiority over your fellows.
(Yes, "loosing" -- "to let loose; release." I know exactly where they are.)
A late addition to Cthulhu Dice was the glass beads you'll be using to track your sanity. And since they aren't anything like a "normal" component for us, I thought a photo was appropriate.
Unfortunately, the printer sent the wrong color bead. These are, as you can see, clear -- they should be a sickening green. Rest assured, they will be green in the final product, but these should give you an idea of what they'll look like. Maybe we should have put a pair of green sunglasses . . . nah, wouldn't look right.
Warehouse 23 News: e23: This Has Your Name All Over it
You're a geek, right? And you like games? Well, it just so happens that we have a magazine called Game Geek here. We feel it might be relevant to your interests.
A couple of Revolution! reviews popped up on our radar recently, both in the new-fangled form of this here Web 2.0.
The Spiel, a podcast devoted to -- wait for it -- games, talked about our big red box at length in Episode #89. We bumped into these guys at multiple conventions last summer. You may even remember Will doing a Gen Con show floor interview with them in Episode #85.
Tom Vasel, of The Dice Tower podcast and tons of reviews on BoardGameGeek, uploaded another review, but not as a podcast. No, he combined sound and moving images for YouTube. Tom covers not just the gameplay but also the components. The bits and boards are much easier to review when you can show pictures.
If you've written a review of any of our games, or spotted one in the wild, drop us a line!
Warehouse 23 News: e23: A Punctuation Confrontation
What Land Ships, Set #3, Mini-Game #92 may lack in sound scientific research it more than makes up for in commas and number signs. Oh, and awesome battles between gigantic steam-powered tanks.
GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 9: Summoners! It's hip! It's cool! It's sexy! It's the best darn book you'll ever read! Ever! And that's a promise!
Don't believe me? Go ahead and prove me wrong, then. Buy the book, read it for yourself, and then come back here and tell me that it's not just the most incredible collection of English words on the planet. I dare ya. I double-dog dare ya. Don't worry about me, I'll wait. I can wait as long as it takes.
I've got a copy of the greatest book in the world to keep me company, you see.
Thinking about redoing the floors in your dungeon? Have you considered Battle Tiles? They come a variety of styles, and feature a modular interlocking system, which allows them to suit any decor. Best of all, they repel most common dungeon stains, such as blood, adventurer droppings, and whatever that stuff is that living oozes are made out of.
The guys in our Production Department have a reputation for the unusual. Yes, even compared to the REST of us. From drawing contests to the milk challenge to a Jones Soda Thanksgiving Dinner Tasting (I love the normal Jones Soda flavors, but "Pumpkin Pie"? "Turkey Gravy"? Ugh!), they are the office court jesters.
Last week, they took on a new challenge: 25 "Fire in the Hole" wings at a local eatery. Their wings are quite large, and they normally serve a wide variety of delicious flavors. For the challenge, however, the "flavor" is sort of a salsa of regular hot wing sauce, jalepenos, and red pepper.
Ben decided discretion was the better part of valor, and bowed out after 17 wings. Both Justin and Alex finished all 25, in varying amounts of pain, thereby earning the grand reward: their photo on the wall of the restaurant. Also an incredibly bloated feeling all afternoon, and bathroom adventures best not described.
And thus, we were entertained. (But don't try this at home, kids!)
Last month I requested proposals to Android-ize the iPhone Munchkin Level Counter. I got a lot of "Yay! Android app!" responses, and several actual proposals, and now we've signed a contract and work is under way. Expect a progress report before mid-March. Paul's about to get an Android phone, so we can put it in a box with my iPhone and make them fight test in-house with minimum fuss.
I'm sure we're going to be doing more RFPs. One thing I learned: instead of putting it in the Illuminator proper, create a page for current RFPs, similar to the page where we post current job openings.
Unless your campaign is set in a place like Nevada, the party is going to see a boat at some point. Thankfully, Avalon Games has not one, but two books for this maritime eventuality. The first is Fantasy Ships of the High Seas, which is a book about boats. Fantasy Ships II: Coastal Raiders is the other one. It's about boats, too. So, your boat problem? Solved.
The earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12 has caused massive devastation; since it's a trending topic on Twitter and all over the 24-hour news networks, you don't need to us to tell you about that. Nor is it surprising that the various charitable organizations around the world have sprung into action to help out.
It's good to be living in the future, even during natural disasters.
(Note: It has been pointed out that the Red Cross has been accepting donations via text message for some time, with the 2HELP program. Specifically, texting "GIVE" to 24357 (aka "2HELP") donates $5 to the Red Cross. The "Haiti" program seems to be the first crisis-specific use of donation-via-text.)
If 1 is the loneliest number, then 9 must be throwing one heck of a party. The transitive property of equality tells us, then, that GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 9: Summoners must be an awesome party! So all you need to do is buy the book and whammo! Instant party.
Last night, after Ross and I spent the day separately -- I hit the last day of the Hong Kong Toy Fair, while Ross took a much-needed break and enjoyed the city -- we wandered back into the streets of Hong Kong to find dinner. After taking the ferry from Wan Chai to Kowloon -- $2.50 HKD, which equals $0.32 in U.S. currency -- we found a shopping mall with a food court. And what awesome food! It was like any food court in a US shopping mall . . . if US shopping malls had food courts packed with authentic and fantastic Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Korean, and Indian food. I settled on beef teriyaki with rice and, after paying my $42 ($5.41 U.S.), I sat down for the best meal of the trip. I guess the secret to great food in Hong Kong is to get out of the tourist districts and find where the locals eat. Cheaper and tastier.
Next on my list is a meeting at my hotel with the same factory rep I tried to meet on Thursday (I mentioned this meeting in Thursday's Daily Illuminator entry). I never did make it to the factory office; from taxi to subway to taxi, I couldn't find anyone willing to take me to a destination that didn't appear on any of my maps of Hong Kong. After far too much time wandering, I returned to the hotel and made arrangements to just meet in the lobby. I would have loved to have seen their offices, but I can't spend my last day in Hong Kong searching for an office when the rep is more than willing to come to me.
After the meeting, that's it for work. I am going to spend the afternoon sightseeing and shopping. Most likely I'll grab a few more toys and try to fit them into my already overflowing suitcases, and then Ross and I plan to meet at 6 and then go out for dinner! Where are we going? The exact same place we went last night, of course!
Warehouse 23 News: e23: "Mammoth" Is Only a Noun, Right?
The Dungeon Under the Mountain: Level 10 - Virtual Box Set promises a "mammoth dungeon." On the other hand, fairly reputable sources have told us that mammoths are long extinct. (Barring the occasional accidental temporal displacement. Which was totally not our fault, by the way.) Thankfully, a credit card is all you need to see which of those two truths is the most truthy.
Last night, after the show, Ross and I set off in search of Capstone, a boardgame cafe hidden somewhere in the winding streets and alleys of Hong Kong's Causeway Bay district. Fortunately, Ross and I now understand that an "F" in an address means floor -- and we've learned that the buildings that don't look at all like a shopping center usually house the best shops and restaurants -- so actually locating the cafe was easier than we expected. Hey, we've got this Hong Kong thing!
This boardgame cafe was a little smaller than the one we visited a few days ago, but no less fun. Capstone was clean, had a great selection of games, and Ross and I weren't there more than two or three minutes before we were offered drinks. (If you care, I chose the ice caramel chocolate, which was fantastic.) And after chatting with Felix, one of the owners of the cafe, Ross and I soon found ourselves sitting down for a game of Summoner Wars. (I lost.)
After thanking our hosts and finding our way back to the street, Ross and I then proceeded to search for Victoria Park, one of Hong Kong's gorgeous parks. The quest led us to the harbor, where we spotted hundreds of junks. No photos of the insanity in the harbor, though, because it was way too dark for my camera to work. The adventure continued as Ross and I looked into dozens of shops, got turned around a few times, tramped through tunnels beneath the city, and otherwise played tourist in one of the busiest cities I've ever visited.
Today's the last day of the Hong Kong Toy Fair, so I'm now setting off for one last look at the booths. I've only got a few hours to explore the exhibit halls before my next meeting with a factory rep. What's this meeting about? Munchkin, but I can't talk about the specific project because it's unannounced, still in development, and is a completely new type of FNORD for us.
Warehouse 23 News: e23: "What Could Possibly Go Wrong?"
The only things standing between you and the ultimate power offered in Trail of Cthulhu: Rough Magicks are those five words. You're not about to let some silly little words stop you, right?
Another day in Hong Kong and another series of adventures . . . but even though Ross and I set sail on a ferry, and spotted a cool-looking junk, we didn't see any pirates. We did see a lot of pirate activity, though, with the constant assault of street vendors offering to sell us "copy" watches and "copy" handbags. And that doesn't even count the vendors who weren't quite so honest with their fake iPods and Rolex watches. Or the occasional "copy" games that were stacked on the tables in the street market.
The day was filled with printer meetings starting with lunch with GPI -- the printer handling everything from Munchkin Quest to Nanuk to Frag Gold Edition -- and closing with a meeting with Topway (they printed Lord of the Fries for us a couple of years ago). The GPI meeting was very useful and covered everything from Munchkin reprints to a detailed discussion on the current status of Cthulhu Dice and Zombie Dice. I love meeting with Mike and David from GPI, and I'm a little sad that I won't get to sit down with them again until March (PAX East takes place close enough to GPI's US office that Steve and I are going to take a little time to swing by and visit). I know that meetings with printers doesn't sound like an exciting way to spend a day in Hong Kong, but not every hour of our day in the city can be devoted to getting lost and buying tea and toys. (I should write about the toy shopping experience in Hong Kong; I suspect that some of you love toys as much as I do.)
Today is another round of meetings, this time with a rep from the factory that produced Revolution! and an engineer who worked on one of Steve's favorite toys, the marbleous Chaos Machine. And around those meetings Ross and I will work our way through the 2,000 booths at Hong Kong Toy Fair.
Warehouse 23 News: Skipping to the Really Good Bits
If there's one thing that Robotech: The Masters Saga Sourcebook has in spades, it's information. Loads of pictures, paragraphs, and particulars about Robotech's second major arc rest within it. This wealth of information makes it an invaluable resource for fans of the show. While very cool, however, we all know why we're really here. Transforming. Robots. That you pilot.
Hello from Hong Kong! Ross and I have been here for a few days now, and we're not quite as lost as we were on that first day . . . even if we do keep finding ourselves completely turned around and confused. This is a massive, exciting place that's every cyberpunk city you've ever seen in fiction -- especially Blade Runner -- brought to life. There are people everywhere, and the only thing that might outnumber the living population is the army of neon lights that fill every available inch of sky.
So what are Ross and I doing in Hong Kong? Technically, we're here to attend the Hong Kong Toy and Game Fair, but really we're here to enjoy everything that a new city has to offer two foreigners. (But don't let the business office know, since they usually frown on spending thousands of dollars to send people halfway around the world to enjoy awesome food and views unlike anything we'll ever see at GenCon.)
Yesterday (Or is that tomorrow? Maybe it was last month. I'm still adjusting to the time change.) Ross and I spent the day with Perry of Wargames Club, our partner in Hong Kong who translates Munchkin for the Chinese market. It was an educational, exciting day, and Ross and I managed to even teach Perry and his staff Nanuk before they took us to the Wargames Club game store. It's the only game store in Hong Kong, and every bit as good as any store I've encountered in the US. The store had as good a selection of games as any store I've ever seen -- and more wargames than most stores, because Perry is a wargamer and is dedicated to stocking full lines. It was one of the cleanest game stores I've ever been in. Which isn't surprising; Hong Kong is easily the cleanest city I've ever visited.
The only thing missing at the Wargames Club store was a place to play games . . . but that's no problem if you know the secret path between the store and a nearby "boardgame cafe." Yes, in Hong Kong they have cafes -- six or seven, according to Perry -- where you go to play games. And they're clean, well lit, have great play space, and a library that rivals my own game collection. We showed up at the cafe a little before they opened, but the staff was friendly and let us wander in and drool on their gaming space. Attention, Austin: I expect a boardgame cafe to be open by the time I get home.
After that, we continued our meeting in one of the largest shopping malls I've ever visited. A short six hours after we started our visit with Perry and his staff, Ross and I were returned to our hotel and left to explore Hong Kong on our own . . . we eventually found our way back to the hotel.
Warehouse 23 News: Now Get the Heck Into Our Galaxy
One of the greatest science fiction roleplaying games of all time and one of the greatest science fiction franchises of all time? How could you not like Traveller: Universe of Babylon 5? Well, okay, yeah. "I'm a fantasy fan" is the easy answer, but . . . Look, this book is just really cool, okay?
As you've likely noticed by now, we're back from our little break at the end of last year. Computers are on, phones are ringing, printers are a-printin'. But if you'll indulge my love of metaphor a moment, we'd like to hit the snooze button to grab "just five more minutes." Oh, we'll have a new PDF up for you soon enough, rest assured. For now, though, we've got a past blaster for you.
GURPS WWII Classic: Frozen Hell has been put up for sale on e23 while we recover from our long winter nap. It's the definitive how-to book for pitting Finns against Franz. It covers their triumphs and tragedies, offering a nifty alternative to the forces you usually see attached to WWII gaming. Given the current time of year, I think it's also a cute joke on the part of the person who schedules our PDF releases.
So there you go. Something old today, and the promise of something new tomorrow. Probably. Maybe. Just five more minutes?
Because killin' snake-dudes is fun! Don't believe us? Buy Forbidden Monsters of Foree: Wan-Ti Snakemen and see for yourself. The feeling of euphoria you'll experience when you sink your battle axe into their gooey heads will be like none other. Uh, incidentally, the smell will probably be like none other as well. But hey, nothing's perfect, right?
We sent early copies of Nanuk out to several of our elite volunteer squads, to show off this highly social game. Here's what a few of them had to say.
"Every time I've demoed this game, it's been well-received, and almost always results in a loud, active bunch of players. It attracts people from other areas of the store to come see what is going on." -- Brian
"We didn't get all the way to shouting but we did get people hopping out of their chairs." -- Andrew
"All in all, the game play was as fast as the players allowed. They really got into the boasting/storytelling and sometimes even teaming up to thrash rivals." -- Jim
"I watched a guy walk away with a game by single-handedly succeeding at a seven-animal, seven-day hunt. The way everything hangs on the turns of a few cards puts a lot of tension in the air, and whether it resolves your way or not -- it's an enjoyable feeling." -- Andrew
Phil's a bit hurt that Nanuk is stealing the "Loudest Game We Publish" crown away from Frag Gold Edition. But since he found Nanuk while it was still being developed by Brett Myers and Mark Goadrich, he only has himself to blame.
Personally, "the louder the better," I say. Just as long as we're in a room away from the Agricola players -- wouldn't want to wake them up. (I kid! I kid!)
Warehouse 23 News: Possibly Exaggerated for Dramatic Effect
How can the Keeper's Screen and Resource Book be both a screen and a book? That seems impossible. Ah, but only to those willing to see the world through the narrow lens of the safe and the sane. Open your mind to the infinite possibilites of the universe and it all becomes so very clear to you. You will see a place where two can be one, where up can be down, and where poking the slumbering horrors at the center of the galaxy is totally a good idea. (Ia! Ia!)
Seems a bit ironic. "Chez Cthulhu" is, roughly, "Cthulhu's home." And as every Lovecraftian scholar knows, Cthulhu is currently slumbering in R'lyeh, deep beneath the Pacific Ocean.
Which is just where the boatload of Chez Cthulhu is sailing over, on its merry way to North America.
Could this be an omen? Could the concentrated psychic power of thousands of games of The Stars Are Right be opening the gates, and all the Great Old One needs is the coincidental connection of Chez Cthulhu and R'lyeh to break free of that unspeakable aquatic prison?
Of course, if Cthulhu is summoned by a Chez game, all that sanity-blasting terror might be replaced by blissful Slack.
Nah, not likely. We're probably all still doomed. Doooooomed! Enjoy the game!
Travelling by air is no fun for a kid. You have to sit - for hours - in a big noisy box full of weird (and occasionally smelly) people. There's nothing to do, there's nowhere to go, and that most certainly is not food. At best, it's food-like. And then there's that disembodied spirit that's feasting on the souls of the passengers. (That last one seems questionable, but that's what it says in SkyMaul. And who the heck are we to tell them they're wrong?)
January 8, 2010: Illuminated Site of the Week: The Name of the Game
Think you know games? To ring in the new year, Steelhead Studio had their usual party, but with an unusual party game; indeed, their game was all about everyone else's games. To celebrate the 100th birthday of their house, they had 100 cupcakes - 100 game-themed cupcakes. Their choices included video games, boardgames, traditional games . . . a bit of everything fun. This is your chance to show off. Get all these right and you might have a job lined up in the lucrative gaming industry. Or - who knows - the lucrative cupcake industry.
Finland, however, is having a rough time. But that's okay, because you'll be there to fight back against those nasty Nazis if you pick up a copy of GURPS WWII Classic: Frozen Hell. Well, that, and a coat. A very, very, very thick coat.
by Ken Hite and illustrated by Andy Hopp, is a really wicked mashup of H.P. Lovecraft's "The Shadow over Innsmouth" and Where The Wild Things Are. It's a wonderful, colorful, evil little book, and since it's published by Atlas, of COURSE we have it in Warehouse 23. If all children's books were like this, the world would be a much more twisted place, I promise you!
And "Where The Deep Ones Are" now available on iPhone. Derek Pearcy (a key member of the Conspiracy here, back in the days of INWO) has translated it into an app, and you can get it in the App Store for a tenth the price of the physical book . . . only $1.99. Cthulhu fans, you want this. I have it on my phone right now, and it makes me smile . . .
Nutshell laughs at your concept of minimalist roleplaying. It runs circles around your ideas of rule simplification. It stands up and says, "Go ahead; be shorter than me. I double-dog dare you!"
Normally, any upcoming release related to Cthulhu would get a significant portion of the Daily Illuminator spotlight. But between the holidays, the two nifty dice games (Zombie Dice and Cthulhu Dice), and the unboxing videos -- not to mention the general weirdness we report on to serve the mysterious purposes of the Secret Masters -- poor little Chez Cthulhu has been feeling a little ignored.
Let's remedy that situation, shall we? To the left, of course, are the components you'll have once the box is opened -- the cards and rules are familiar, and the utility of the tokens are immediately obvious. As you'd expect from a Chez game, there are many familiar elements. Roommates? Check. Jobs you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy? Right there. Slack? You betcha.
But Madness? Tentacles? Evil Ritual Nookie? These are the sorts of things that set Chez Cthulhu apart.
Warehouse 23 News: One Is Good, One Is Not So Much
Pay careful attention to the title of Trail of Cthulhu: Arkham Detective Tales. Do not confuse it with "Detective Tails." If the detective has a tail, you shoot him and you find a new detective. When the Mythos is involved, this is not the sort of thing you can afford to mix up.
With all the other unboxing videos we've done, you may be wondering if we're trying to capture all our games on video.
Yes, yes we are.
Next up is Will's unboxing video for Ninja Burger. We tried to get him to wear a ninja costume for this one, but something about an ancient oath prevented him.
It's hard to believe that 2009 is already over, but the flipping of the 10s digit on my new calendar verifies otherwise. So while I wait for a music compilation to tell me what great music I missed in the Aughts (do they still make CDs?), I thought I'd take a look at everything neat, new, and digital that came out from Steve Jackson Games via e23 in the past year.
So, in roughly alphabetical order, starting with the goodies for GURPS:
We also uploaded 28 "reprint" items to e23: out-of-print releases for Car Wars (including a couple that have been unavailable for decades), In Nomine, and Ogre, plus 23 (!) GURPS Classic items, and one straggler item designed for GURPS Fourth Edition -- GURPS Dragons -- that defied PDF conversion until now.
If something cool in the above list slipped your notice, don't feel bad; that's a lot of material to keep track of! You've got plenty of time to go back and pick up anything you missed.
Heck, you may want to scroll back through the Daily Illuminators of the past week or two -- today's as good a time as any to catch up on what we talked about during the holiday break!
Pyramid Classic. What is it? What was it? Where did we leave it when we were done with it? Who's responsible for all this? What secrets did it keep from the world? No one can truly know for sure. We can only look at this mysterious PDF and scratch our heads quizzically. Buy one today so that you can join us. In fact, you should probably buy all of them, just to make sure you get the full effect. So mysterious . . .
You may have noticed the new navigation bar on our pages. No, not on this one -- we like the pyramid motif for the front-most pages. On most other pages, however, something a bit more subtle is called for.
You might have missed it when we rereleased the Car Wars Compendium as a PDF a little while back. Sure, new releases have petered out for the old warhorse, but it was a pretty big deal back in the day. Perhaps it's time to remember why.
You've played the Flash demo. You've seen the dice cup. But what about the dice?
Well there they are. The final package will include 13 dice -- six green, four yellow, and three red. The colors indicate the "danger" of the die. Green dice are the safest to roll; you're likelier to eat a brain than roll a shotgun. The yellow dice are middle-of-the-road, with equal chances to roll brains, feet, or shotgun. The red dice are dangerous! Half the faces are shotguns, so the odds are not in your favor when you roll one.
Transhuman Space isn't interested in pigeonholing players. You want to play a human? Sure, that works. But you could also be an uplifted dog, an artificial intelligence living inside someone's watch, a gengineered cat-lady android thing, or any other bizzaro combination of mind, metal, and meat you can dream up. And even if you're having trouble in the dream department, we've still got you covered with the Personnel Files line.
Hope this year is better than the movie. Nothing against John Lithgow and Roy Scheider, but I don't think our solar system needs a second star. (Wait, Helen Mirren was in that? Wow, don't remember her role at all.)
Hope you start putting the proper year on your checks earlier than you did last year. Hmm, does anyone even use checks anymore?
Hope you keep your New Year's Resolutions longer than last year's.
Warehouse 23 News: e23: Everything Old Is . . . Still Pretty Old
The Internet is a fast-paced, on-the-go, life-in-the-fast-lane kind of place. So even though we released GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 6: 40 Artifacts back in July, it's already slipped into the realm of obscurity. It is itself an artifact. A curiosity of a bygone era, before the human race developed . . . um . . . whatever new iThing we're on to now. Honestly, who can keep up?
