March 23, 2025: Tribes Playtest On Discord

Kevin Mitcham is looking for playtesters! That's the tl;dr of it; here's his actual message.

Come test my Tribes server!

Tribes is a game with simple mechanics but really cool emergent properties that come from the players' interactions. I've implemented a program on a Discord server to handle the rules and inventory system, freeing the players to spend their time and attention on each other.

I'm looking for playtesters to play a few sessions of a few hours each to help smooth the documentation and game flow and to shake out the remaining bugs before I open it to the general public. Please contact me at kmitcham@gmail.com or just dive in at https://discord.gg/CX7VTt7uue if you want to try it. Most players will be able to read the help text and get started without any handholding, but I'm around most evenings after 6 Seattle time for questions.

Tribes is best with 4-6 players, but as few . . . [more]

March 22, 2025: Solving For Scheduling

Everyone who has tried to schedule an RPG session knows this aspect of the game is often the biggest challenge hopeful heroes face. What we don't always think about are the odds of success in this part of the game. A group of scientists recently applied their skills to this problem, and Hank Green made a great video breaking down the math.

-- Will Schoonover

March 21, 2025: Armchair Dragoons Interview

During the GAMA show, I was interviewed for the Armchair Dragoons podcast. Good interview! And it is up now. So please give a listen, if podcasts are your thing.

-- Steve Jackson

March 20, 2025: Making My Own Legions Imperialis

My side hobby when I'm not writing games is painting miniatures. I have a tremendous number of Kruleboyz Orruks and Gloomspite Gitz (or, as I like to call them, Orcs & Goblins), but for the past year my obsession has firmly been in Legions Imperialis: Games Workshop's current iteration on the old Epic rules, set in the Horus Heresy. The size of an average human is ~6mm, and so you end up with some truly gargantuan armies.

I have no issue with the Legions Imperialis rules, but I find myself wanting more. I want a game I can play with friends who aren't familiar with wargames, that avoids the fiddly wound-tracking that is such a pain at this enormous scale, and I want it to be escalation-based instead of attrition-based. Normally in a wargame, each player lays out their whole army, and you whittle away at each other's forces over time. I want a game where you start with just a few troops . . . [more]

March 19, 2025: Be A Funny Bunny With Munchkin Warm Fuzzies!

The newest expansion in the Munchkin universe is absolutely ear-resistable! Munchkin Warm Fuzzies brings a host of cuddly creatures to the classic card game.

Included are 56 all-new cards with art by Katie Cook. Before kicking down the door, put on your Rabbit Ears and Angora Sweater, then equip your Bunchucks to prepare for battle. They might appear soft and cute, but these critters can be vicious! Suffering a loss to the Snuggle Bunny will take away your armor, but losing to the knife-wielding Chinkilla means certain death. After all, his teeth are really sharp! And if you can learn to Master the Hopsicord, you'll go up a level and live hoppily ever after.

You won't have a bad hare day when you shuffle Munchkin Warm Fuzzies into any fantasy-backed deck!

Head over to Warehouse 23 or your FLGS to pre-order your copy today. Hop to it!

-- Michelle Richardson

Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule

The flag from Dime Box will go to Baghdad. March 23, 2025: Tribes Playtest On Discord Kevin Mitcham is looking for playtesters! That's the tl;dr of it; here's his actual message. Come test my Tribes server! Tribes is a game with simple mechanics but really cool emergent properties that come from the players' interactions. I've implemented a program on a Discord server to handle the rules and inventory system, freeing the players to spend their time and attention on each other. I'm looking for playtesters to play a few sessions of a few hours each to help smooth the documentation and game flow and to shake out the remaining bugs before I open it to the general public. Please contact me at kmitcham@gmail.com or just dive in at https://discord.gg/CX7VTt7uue if you want to try it. Most players will be able to read the help text and get started without any handholding, but I'm around most evenings after 6 Seattle time for questions. Tribes is best with 4-6 players, but as few . . . [more] March 22, 2025: Solving For Scheduling Everyone who has tried to schedule an RPG session knows this aspect of the game is often the biggest challenge hopeful heroes face. What we don't always think about are the odds of success in this part of the game. A group of scientists recently applied their skills to this problem, and Hank Green made a great video breaking down the math. -- Will Schoonover March 21, 2025: Armchair Dragoons Interview During the GAMA show, I was interviewed for the Armchair Dragoons podcast. Good interview! And it is up now. So please give a listen, if podcasts are your thing. -- Steve Jackson March 20, 2025: Making My Own Legions Imperialis My side hobby when I'm not writing games is painting miniatures. I have a tremendous number of Kruleboyz Orruks and Gloomspite Gitz (or, as I like to call them, Orcs & Goblins), but for the past year my obsession has firmly been in Legions Imperialis: Games Workshop's current iteration on the old Epic rules, set in the Horus Heresy. The size of an average human is ~6mm, and so you end up with some truly gargantuan armies. I have no issue with the Legions Imperialis rules, but I find myself wanting more. I want a game I can play with friends who aren't familiar with wargames, that avoids the fiddly wound-tracking that is such a pain at this enormous scale, and I want it to be escalation-based instead of attrition-based. Normally in a wargame, each player lays out their whole army, and you whittle away at each other's forces over time. I want a game where you start with just a few troops . . . [more] March 19, 2025: Be A Funny Bunny With *Munchkin Warm Fuzzies! The newest expansion in the Munchkin* universe is absolutely ear-resistable! Munchkin Warm Fuzzies brings a host of cuddly creatures to the classic card game. Included are 56 all-new cards with art by Katie Cook. Before kicking down the door, put on your Rabbit Ears and Angora Sweater, then equip your Bunchucks to prepare for battle. They might appear soft and cute, but these critters can be vicious! Suffering a loss to the Snuggle Bunny will take away your armor, but losing to the knife-wielding Chinkilla means certain death. After all, his teeth are really sharp! And if you can learn to Master the Hopsicord, you'll go up a level and live hoppily ever after. You won't have a bad hare day when you shuffle Munchkin Warm Fuzzies into any fantasy-backed deck! Head over to Warehouse 23 or your FLGS to pre-order your copy today. Hop to it! -- Michelle Richardson Previous Illuminators • Steve's Appearance Schedule		Latest Videos You are the 2341st cyborg here today. (30518659 since August 1, 1995)