SJ Games Ogre News

Ogre 6e Status Report: 2012

I haven't done a good enough job recently of communicating the status of Ogre 6th Edition. The status is: Still planned, still the super-fancy as per the prototypes you can see on that page (and which I expect will show up in the display case at PAX in a couple of weeks) . . .

And definitely still not on track for 2011. I warned everyone in May that it might not happen in 2011, and now I can say it definitely won't. I knew that at the end of June, before I took July off, and I should have shared.

There's no sophisticated marketing reason (and, for that matter, no sinister financial reason) for the delay. It's just "not enough hours in Steve's day." Ogre takes a certain amount of concentration and "getting into state" to do right. It's fun, but it's a lot more demanding fun than, say, making up Munchkin curses.

I continue to get more mail about this than any other upcoming project (definitely more than for any single Munchkin projects, probably more than for any two). I know you want it; I want to do it . . . it's just going to take more work.

-- Steve Jackson

Ogre 6th Edition Update

Here's an update on the progress of Ogre 6th Edition.

Yes, we're definitely going to do it. There was a lot of distributor support at the GAMA Trade Show, and I have gotten more mail about this game than about any announcement we've ever done before. So the game will happen, and it will go through the regular distribution chain. That means that you will be able to get it through your hobby shop.

Many of those letters said things like "If you want to do this game, don't let anything stop you." I appreciate that support very much.

Currently, we plan to print 3,000 copies, plus some extra maps and counters as a W23 offering. The retail price of the game will be an even $100.00.

Many of you have asked about pre-orders. Right now we're not taking pre-orders for any new releases. What we have done is set up a mailing list. You can subscribe to it here. This will be a very low-volume list. We won't spam you, but we'll update you on important milestones, tell you when it goes to print, and tell you when you can order it.

Answers to frequently asked questions, in my mail and online:

• When will it come out, exactly?

Good question. When I first started to write this Illuminator, more than a month ago, it said "it will happen this year." I'm not sure about that. I spent the better part of two weeks sick, at a bad time, and then that interesting Secret Munchkin Project opportunity appeared and distracted me from everything else. Now I'm about to go to Brazil. Distractions, distractions. But we'll keep working.

• Will it be in a scale big enough to use the Ogre miniatures?

Yes, absolutely. The map is made to work with the minis.

• I'm going to buy two copies!

That's not a question, but at least a dozen people said that. Now that's support! Thank you again.

– Steve Jackson

Open (Ogre) Letter To Distributors

Later this year, we'll release Ogre 6th Edition. It will be a very, very deluxe boardgame, with all the rules and units from Ogre, G.E.V., and Shockwave, as well as things that have only appeared in magazines and miniature releases.

Why? Because I want to. Ogre was my first design, and the boardgame version hasn't been available for years. And people keep asking me for it. So some of our Munchkin money is going back to support the people who bought my very first game, by bringing them an edition with the best possible components.

It won't be "Euro" style. No meeples, no plastic. This will be the kind of hex wargame that we dreamed about 30 years ago, back when our heroes were SPI and Avalon Hill. HUGE double-sided map boards. HUGE full-color counters with HUGE type. A HUGE box to hold them in. And giant constructible Ogres!

So why am I writing this letter? Not to say "Hey, distributors, we'll do this if you like the idea." I'm going to release this game, no matter what. If we don't get enough distributor interest, we'll release it for direct sales only, with (probably) a lower print run, and (certainly) a lower price, since we won't have to build in the distributor and retailer margin.

But I don't want to bypass distribution. We went through this with GURPS Russia, back in '98. When we solicited it, the distributors said "Meh." We believed in the book, and printed a short run for direct sales. Suddenly everybody wanted it! It sold out quickly, distributors and retailers demanded it, and we ended up reprinting it for distribution! I won't go through that again.

Here's why you may not want this game: It's going to retail for $100, and it isn't full of plastic toys. It's a classic hex wargame, and those aren't in fashion. Here's why I hope you DO want it:

It's a humongous, heavy box that will have a huge shelf presence. How big is it? Over twice the size of Munchkin Quest. It takes three copies of the original edition of Ogre to cover up the word "OGRE" on this box.
It's got three huge mapboards with 1.5" hexes, and big full-color counters. The Ogre and building counters are 3-D constructible miniatures!
I don't expect to keep this in print. Realistically, I expect to print it once and let people spend the next 30 years fighting over the remaining copies. The people who get it are going to show it off at parties and conventions.
It's a pretty good game, if I say so myself. A lot of people remember it. (More than 25 years after its original release, Ogre won a spot in Hobby Games: The 100 Best.) Some of them would love to drop $100 for a beautiful version of the game they played 20 or 30 years ago, whether it was in high school, or in Germany or Kuwait or some classified spot in the middle of the Pacific.

Talk to Ross, and feel free to write directly to me at sj@sjgames.com. We've also created a sell sheet with more information; please note that the art, both on the sell sheet and above, is not final.

– Steve Jackson

Destroy All Munchkins

A prototype Mark V from the 6th Edition playtest set pursues an unruly gang of chainsaw-wielding trespassers.

Lego Mark III

Look at this great Ogre Mark III done in Lego. We'd love to hear from the creator . . . all we can tell from the website is that the pictures were posted by someone using the handle JawaJim. The same person who built these small units? We don't know, and we'd like to find out and give proper credit!

Thanks to Kyle Miller for spotting these and sharing!

– Steve Jackson

Look What's on the Worktable

SJ has a workspace just outside his office where he often spreads out larger-than-normal stuff he's working on.

This photo was taken earlier in the week. The project in question definitely qualifies as "larger-than-normal."

Ogre Art!

Back in the day, original art used to be sent to the publisher. It was a long process, with many opportunities for tragedy to befall the gorgeously delicate canvases. However, if you're careful, as we were, you have some very nice pieces of art to hang on the wall afterwards.

For instance, we've got the cover of Battlesuit just outside of SJ's office. I'd forgotten how cool it was – the battlesuited trooper standing over his fallen opponent is still evocative. It isn't actually on the wall yet, as it needs a frame that suits it better. But it and the cover of the original pocketbox version of G.E.V. are positioned (along with classic pieces from nearly everything we've published in the last 29 years) and should be gracing our halls very soon.

Ogre Scenario Book Now Available In PDF

Ogre Scenario Book 1 is now available in PDF from e23. Six scenarios requiring only the original Ogre map, for less than $5. Even a Mark VII (not saying one exists, mind you!) can't beat that!

If you're not familiar with e23, we sell PDF files free of any sort of DRM to interfere with your enjoyment of the product. Purchase does not require registration, although registration does have its benefits. For instance, if your hard drive ever eats your purchase, you can re-download it, for free. If we update the file, you can download that for free as well!

So surf on over to e23. You're only clicks away from enough scenarios to keep you busy during the entire holiday break!

Ogre On Your Tree

Although it is maple instead of BPC, the Ogre Christmas Ornament still carries the same sense of menace . . . well, it will at least mark you as a wargamer of taste and distinction to those who enter your home during the holidays.

Sneaky Ninja!

One main battery: $87 bazillion.

Two secondaries: $37 zillion.

One missile rack, with four internal missiles, and two external missiles: $497 bajillion.

ECM powerful enough that attackers cannot combine fire unless they're attacking from an adjacent hex: Priceless.*

* Technically, the Ogre Ninja is only $14, and the newly revised and recently released Ogre Miniatures is only $9.95. So while not "priceless," they're a heck of a lot easier on the wallet than actual cybertank weaponry. Or my credit card bill, even.

Plus, if you already have a copy of Ogre Miniatures, all you need is the Ogre Miniatures Update, which is free – so that's getting closer to "without price."

– Paul Chapman

Ogre Miniatures (Re)Released

After far too long, the PDF edition of Ogre Miniatures is available on e23. This project has been under way for years, but after I'd finished compiling my errata and change list, the whole thing got pushed to the back burner because redoing the photos would have been a huge project. So we decided to scan it and release it in PDF, instead. But that meant that instead of just correcting errata and adding new stuff, everything had to be collected on new pages, with links added from the old pages . . . and it had been so long since the original compilation that there were a lot of NEW ideas to add . . . It was a job.

But it's finally done. Thanks go to everybody involved: to all the forum-dwellers who commented on the new material as it was created, to Phil Reed for new record card graphics and Ogre Miniatures Lite layout, and to Nikki, Monica, and Fox for struggling through the various stages of layout and PDF creation on what turned out to be a far more complex project than planned.

For those who have the first edition and don't want to pay for the revisions: You don't have to. The Ogre Miniatures Update is available as a separate freebie.

And, if you hadn't noticed: the long-awaited Ogre Ninja miniature was released as an early celebration of Ogre Minis version 1.1.

– Steve Jackson

The Ogre Ninja: Corporeal At Last

When I think "ninja" the first thing to pop into my head is a person in black pajamas creeping across the roof. (Okay, that's a lie. The first thing that pops into my head is a turtle, but this is a close second.) I do not, however, typically associate the word with tanks. Especially cybertanks. Especially cybertanks that tend to blot out the sun as they roll by. But I should. And you should. And we will. Because, defying all logic and reason, there exists a sneaky Ogre known as the Ninja. Sure, it might not be tiptoeing across a pond anytime soon, but it will flip out and kill just about everything. As far as I'm concerned, that's close enough.

So why am I bringing this up? We recently got a whole mess of these long-awaited shadow warriors cast and put up for sale in our online store, Warehouse 23. You can find them by utilizing this wondrous new invention called the hyperlink. Click, and unto you shall it deliver the craftiest, sneakiest, most imperceptible rolling building you'll ever see. (Or should that be "never see?")

And by "imperceptible," I of course mean "it will kill every single thing it comes in contact with, which - in an operational sense - is exactly the same thing as nobody having ever seen you in the first place."

– Fox Barrett

Ogre Miniatures Lite Now Available!

Ogre Miniatures Lite is a brand-new version of the old "Ogre Lite" reference sheet. It isn't really Ogre Miniatures on two sides of an 8.5" x 11" sheet, because if we could do that we wouldn't need therest of the book, but it IS a great cheat-sheet for experiencedplayers, and a perfect handout for newbies at a convention.

And it's a FREE download on e23.

That's all very well, you ask, but what about Ogre Miniatures itself? When will it be out in PDF? Real . . . soon . . . now . . .

SJ decided to get the new Lite out of the way first, and it tooklonger than expected. Months longer. Don't ask. But now it IS out ofthe way, and he'll be looking at the actual Ogre Miniatures revisions again. They've been ALMOST done for those same months.

Slightly Heavier Metal

Okay, kids, it's time for another Good News/Bad News situation. Allow me to hit you with the Bad vibe first. The price of metal has gone up. Ogre minis, being made of metal, are more expensive to produce. What that means is come June 2nd, the individual Ogre minis will increase in price slightly. We're looking at about a 10% increase. Yeah, bleah, not exactly happiness. If you've been on the fence about filling out your army for The Last War, now is the best time to pick up those Raptors you've had your eye on.

This only affects the individual minis, mind you. The boxed sets will remain at their current prices.

The Good side? Your Ogre collection just jumped a little bit in value! Score!

(Hey, come on, lemme have my silver lining here, huh?)

– Fox Barrett

Return From The Darkness!

It's been more than two years since any new Ogre support. We are happy to announce that that is changing.

A new edition of Ogre, with high-quality components, will ship later in the year.

A PDF edition of Ogre Miniatures will be available soon from e23. This will not be a brand-new edition; it will be a scan of the first edition, with the addition of many pages of new rules, record sheets, other play aids, and complete errata.

And a new version of Ogre Miniatures Lite will be available very soon as a free e23 download. Ogre Miniatures Lite is not intended as a stand-alone rules set (though it really does get most of the rules, and a lot of tactical advice, onto the two sides of a letter-sized sheet). It's intended as a quick reference for the experienced player and a quick-start handout to help new players, whether at a convention or in the living room.

For frequent updates on the new projects, visit the Ogre forums.

– Steve Jackson

Peace On Earth, Goodwill Towards Giant Self-Aware Nuclear Tanks

Few things say "Christmas" like depleted uranium shells.

Well, the color they tend to make things is pretty Christmas-y.

Celebrate the holiday season with a bang. A very big bang from the primaries of an Ogre Mark V. These high-quality ornaments, etched from maple wood by laser, are sure to delight that wargaming fan in your life. If you find that you are the wargaming fan in your life, well, what are you waiting for? It's a tiny, laser-etched Ogre you can hang on the tree!

– Wayne

Miniatures Available

Have you checked Warehouse 23's miniatures supply recently? Gray Cat Castings is keeping them well stocked. Now is the time to fill out your Ogre army!

Ogre Miniatures News

Many fans of both Ogre and Ogre Miniatures have been wondering, some quietly, some not, about the status of SJ Games' miniatures production. Although in the past I have prided myself on maintaining a positive flow of information, of late I've expressed naught but silence.

The short answer to your questions is: SJ Games has ceased production of all miniatures. Several new miniatures (the Vulcan, the Doppelsoldner, and the Ninja) were indeed sculpted and mastered, but we weren't able to produce them before the final shut-down date. We are talking to a new caster, and I expect to have more news before the end of the month. Rest assured that the new caster will be able to produce the aforementioned figures.

Now, for those of you who have more free time and curiosity, I can expand a bit. In the second quarter of 2003, I watched the sales numbers of miniatures (all miniatures, I should note, not just Ogre) slowly sink. Alternatives to in-house casting were examined, and the decision was eventually made to close the casting department.

Around this time, our Traffic Manager decided to move on to other pursuits, leaving SJ Games without a key person in the command structure. I was moved over to the Traffic Department, and was quickly swamped with the tasks of maintaining the physical building, shipping both to Warehouse 23 customers and distributors, and closing down the Miniatures Division. Still, I had high hopes for releasing the new Ogre figures before the end of the year.

Then, the decision was made to move the warehouse to Las Vegas. Obviously, this required a whole lot of extra work that I had not planned on. Inventory needed to be counted, massive amounts of shipping materials needed to be purchased, and many, many, many pallets needed to be shipped and coordinated.

The area that was the casting room was stripped to make the extra room necessary to ship the massive number of pallets. This was done, unfortunately, before the new Ogre figures had a chance to enter production. It was my planning that failed on this point, a fact I'm not at all happy about. However, the move to Las Vegas was a solid business decision, and the timing was right, despite the stresses it inflicted on me.

Now? I'm back in Austin, after spending most of four weeks counting, packing, and shipping our inventory (and all of last week setting up the new warehouse!). I've got a list of "over-due" projects as long as my arm, and I'll be attacking them as fast as I can. At the top of that list is getting a signed contract out of the new caster, and being able to announce it. Only slightly less important is re-establishing the lines of communication between SJ Games and the Ogre fans.

In summary, I've been busy, but I am very sorry that we weren't able to get the new figures out as promised. Thanks for sticking around.

Paul Chapman
Steve Jackson Games
Traffic Manager
paul@sjgames.com

Miniatures Division Closing

As you may have read on the August 9th Daily Illuminator, the Miniatures Division will be closing at the end of the month. What does that mean for you, our loyal fans?

Not much, for the moment. We don't want anyone to miss their opportunity to fill out their collections, so we'll have the figures available for several months. The target is to run dry in December. We'll keep you informed which figures are getting low.

Any announced sets (Uplift Miniatures, Transhuman Space Miniatures, and Dork Tower Miniatures) will be released on schedule. In fact, Uplift Miniatures ships next week.

Of the "rumored but unannounced" figures, we have a few that are close enough to release that we will release – specifically, the Ogre Vulcan (and it's Heavy Drone), the Ogre Ninja, the Doppelsoldner, and the Ogrethulhu Swimmer. We also will release more Off The Wall Armies, as well as a couple of special Munchkin related figures. Unfortunately, that means there are some units we just never got to, like the Mobile Command Posts, GEV-Mobile Command Posts, and Cruise Missile Crawlers.

Not all of these figures are available for preorder through Warehouse 23 right now. Don't worry, we'll be putting up new figures every week for the next month or two.

It's been an excellent experience, and I'd like to thank everyone involved: Richard, Steve, Chris, and Doc. A special thanks goes out to Ed and Al at Reaper for help above and beyond.

I'm sure you have questions not covered here. As always, I'm at paul@sjgames.com for email, but I'll also be hunting questions on the Yahoo Ogre groups, and on the forums of both Pyramid, and The Miniatures Page.

Paul Chapman
Miniatures Division Manager
paul@sjgames.com