October 31, 2000: GURPS Traveller Alien Races 4 Now In Playtest!
The Traveller universe is vast, with literally hundreds of different
intelligent species . . . some friends, some foes, some too alien to be
sure. The fourth book of the Alien Races series describes no less than
twenty different races, from starfarers to primitives.
Meet the flying Ael Yael and the sentient psionic plants called the
Ahetaowa. Encounter an amphibian bureaucrat, a brilliant doctor who looks
like a rhinoceros, and a long-necked xenophobic troll. Try to subvert a
Girug'kagh away from its K'kree masters . . . or rescue a Hlanssai ship in
Vargr space.
GURPS Traveller Alien Races 4 is now in playtest! Pyramid subscribers can access the playtest files. And if you're not already a subscriber, subscribe today!
-- Keith Johnson
October 30, 2000: Doc Secrets
So did you check out the Dancing Naked Doc?
Did you try putting the pointer on each figure, one at a time?
If you got that far, did you try sweeping it quickly and randomly over the whole dancing mob of them?
SCARY.
And now, from that same site . . . probably the only animation on the site that ISN'T sick and twisted . . . one last dance.
-- Steve Jackson
October 29, 2000: Dance Your Mind Away
And now for a completely different dance . . . The Dancing Naked Doc may look, at first glance, like just another hamster imitation. There's more here than meets the eye. Take a shot at figuring it out yourself, before I tell you . . .
The character will make a bit more sense if you browse around killfrog.com and enjoy the whole collection of twisted animations. But I thought the Dancing Doc was . . . special. In some sense, anyway.
-- Steve Jackson
October 28, 2000: It's Crazy, But It Just Might Work
No, on second thought, it's crazy.
But here's something from the Pyramid chat boards, just so you non-subscribers don't miss ALL the fun . . .
What if you had a Monopoly game where everyone got to be the car.
And the cars each mounted rockets, MGs and mineflingers.
And every time you landed on someone's property, you had the option of
paying rent or duelling it out, torching the place, and generally razing
it to the ground....
You know, that big, unused center of the board would make a great arena,
just watch out for those two giant stacks of Chance and Community Chest cards.
Thank Christopher J. Burke for this gem.
-- Steve Jackson
October 27, 2000: And There, On the Door, Was a Hook
Or a choking Doberman. Or something.
Pick your urban legend. All your favorites (and a few you may not have heard) are here. Sex, drugs and Disney flicks rule at The San Fernando Valley Folklore Society's Urban Legends Reference Pages. Fun, queer, creepy, spooky, and they have your Hallowe'en horrors covered. Unlike other sites of its kind, it's even clean and easy to read. Don't believe it? Hey, that's how these things get started.
-- Suggested by Clangador
Warehouse 23 News: Brubek's: When You Already Know Where You Are!
Never miss a chance to stop by Brubek's? Then you need your souvenir t-shirt!
In this sector, available exclusively through Warehouse 23.
-- Brendon
October 26, 2000: Online Policy Updates
We've made some changes in our online policy - if you are operating a Web page related to our games, please take a look. The most important change is an explicit prohibition against imitations of our trade dress. That is: don't design pages or graphics that look like our book covers, or use our logos in ways that could make someone think that this was actually one of our products. We never listed "borrow our trade dress" as something people could do . . . but we never specifically said not to, either. Well, we need to say "please don't." Thanks . . .
-- Steve Jackson
October 25, 2000: Now Shipping!
Several new things are shipping this week:
Suppressed Transmission 2
Bar the doors, shutter the windows, and batten down the hatches . . .
Kenneth Hite is back with more proof that Everything Is A Conspiracy
Waiting To Happen. This second collection of Hite's popular columns from
Pyramid, our online magazine, contains just as much obscure knowledge,
bizarre cross-references, and Things We Weren't Meant To Know as the first
one -- and it's all updated and annotated! Remember, it's not paranoia if
they really are out to get you . . . whoever They are . . .
#3006, ISBN 1-55634-445-7. 128 pages. $19.95.
GURPS Steampunk
GURPS Steampunk combines the mood of cyberpunk with the
setting of an alternate Industrial Age, where computers run on steam power,
walking colossi stalk the battlefields, flying ironclads rule the skies,
and science is the new frontier.
Whether your destination is 20,000 leagues under the sea or into space to
hear the music of the spheres, GURPS Steampunk can get you
there. It covers the real events, politics, and personalities of the
Industrial Age, as well as the weird science that could have been
created . . . vehicles, robots, airships, and more. Choose from several
different Steam Age settings described in the book, or make up your own!
#6098, ISBN 1-55634-419-8. 144 pages. $20.95.
Principia Discordia (reprint)
This book is the bible of Discordianism . . . the worship of Eris,
the goddess of Chaos. This great "cult classic" first appeared in 1965. Our
edition adds 20 pages of new material, as revealed by Eris to her faithful
worshipers when they probably should have been mowing the lawn or
something.
WARNING: This book contains subversive truths, absurd lies,
guerrilla philosophy, and several very naughty words. Open mind before
reading!
Stock #3002, ISBN 1-55634-320-5. $9.95.
-- Keith Johnson
Have you satisfied your craving for geek toys lately? Check out these cool
Lizards based on the famous M. C. Escher
drawings!
-- Brendon
October 24, 2000: More Jobs
There are a couple of new postings on the jobs page. If you're sufficiently alpha-geeky, check them out.
Warehouse 23 News: Atlas Does the ABCs
Atlas Games' Letter Head proves once and for all
that word games aren't just for eggheads!
-- Brendon
October 23, 2000: Fnord
There was no news on the 23rd. You do not notice this. Everything seems normal.
October 22, 2000: The Really Suppressed Transmission
Check out the auction page for a pointless but mysterious souvenir of something that ought not to have happened at all.
Warehouse 23 News: Racing at the Speed of Dice!
Need a break from the blood and mayhem of Car Wars? Try Formula Dé and be the first to cross the finish line!
-- Brendon
October 21, 2000: Motivation
And if your cyborged locust (hmm . . . cybug?) won't go fast enough (see yesterday's Illuminator) . . . you can just EAT HIM UP.
Warehouse 23 News: Curse of the Shadow Beasts
Looking for a good read? Check out the Curse of the Shadow Beasts by Christine Morgan.
-- Brendon
October 20, 2000: If You Don't Like the Way I Drive, Stay Off the Lawn
We'll raise a lesser species up to our level yet; we've already taught the insect kingdom road rage. The MyoElectric Locust - M.E.L. - is ready to take it to the streets. From there, can SUVs be far behind?
-- Suggested by Charles Collin
Warehouse 23 News: Grab the Brains and Head for Vegas!
Two new games, just in:
The Great Brain Robbery and James Ernest Writes Off Another Trip to Vegas.
It's no gamble with Cheapass Games, they've got the brains!
-- Brendon
October 19, 2000: Clank, Clank
The Ogre enters a comic, or actually, a crossover between a couple of web comics, and if you want the backstory, you'll just have to work it
out yourself, starting here . . .
Warehouse 23 News: Triple Delight from Rokugan
Just in for Legend of Five Rings: The Way of the Wolf,
The Way of Shinsei, and
The Lesser of Two Evils. Step into a magical world of unbending honor and sudden death!
-- Brendon
October 18, 2000: Mind Control In A Bottle
You know you want it. You can hear the voices telling you you want it. All your friends want it too. You want them to like you. You want it. It's in The Onion.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: The Stars Are Right!
New in stock: The Hills Rise Wild! and the Caprice Corporate Sourcebook.
From hillbilly horror to corporate intrigue on an alien world, Warehouse 23 has what you need!
-- Brendon
October 17, 2000: Revised Chez Geek Rules Posted
As part of the reprint of Chez Geek, we revised the rules . . . no big changes, but several small ones to make the game faster and fairer. The revised rule sheet will be packaged with all Chez Geek in the new boxes, as well as the new Slack Attack supplement, but you can also download the PDF version here.
-- Steve Jackson
Warehouse 23 News: Hack and Hack Again
Newly arrived today: Knights of the Dinner Table issues
No. 47: Hooked on Psionics and No. 48: Apocalypse Drow.
-- Brendon
October 16, 2000: Make Travolta Dance
He cannot resist your commands. Either you like this site or you don't. Fair enough? Funny once, anyway. Click "Autodance On."
October 15, 2000: The Miniatures Roll On
The beautiful Deluxe Ogre box sleeve, designed by Phil Reed, went to the printers last week .
. . still (barely) on time for the November ship! Yea!
Here's an outtake from the photography session for the back cover illustrations. The white unit is the Combine heavy tank, resculpted (with incredible detail) and painted by Richard Kerr. This particular photo only hints at the detail. I really like the w
ay these are coming out; I'm going to be very proud of them.
-- Steve Jackson
October 14, 2000: Jesse's Fire Sale
Jesse DeGraff, multi-talented Traveller artist (here's his latest work on the Ground Forces cover) recently had a bit of bad luck from which, fortunat
ely, he's recovering. Read about a really scary home accident here . . .
-- Steve Jackson
October 13, 2000: Enlightenment, Line 3
All the secrets of the universe have been laid bare. It just happens to sound a lot like a Crazy Drunk Guy. Most of it is about Jack Webb, but you probably figured that much out on your own.
-- Suggested by McRey B. Moyer
October 12, 2000: Mailing List Migration
Starting today we're going to be moving most of our large mailing lists to eGroups. If you're already subscribed to one of our lists (like the Daily Illuminator, Pyramid or JTAS weekly updates), you'll automatically
be subscribed to the new list on eGroups.
This should spare our web staff the headache of dealing with bounced mail and other list-related problems, and will enable you to manage your own mailing list subscriptions more easily.
-- Kira
October 11, 2000: Everybody's Out To Get Me But I Feel All Right
Do I like this because I'm a [leader|observer|big fan|tool|fnord] of the Great Conspiracy, or because I really do need another cup of coffee? Turn up the volume and check out this animation of Stre
ss, from Jim's Big Ego.
-- Steve Jackson
October 10, 2000: INWO FAQ Updated
Thanks to John Fiala for going over the FAQ and adding new information, most of which is safe to view without polarized goggles fnord.
KODT Fans, Check Out The Auction
Yea, verily, copies of the first 3 issues of "Knights of the Dinner Table" are on the block right now, right here.
October 9, 2000: Official In Nomine MUSH
The first official In Nomine MUSH, Brass & Steel is set in Kansas City, MO, where Archangels David, Dominic, Eli, and Marc fight against the encroaching Princes - Andrealphus, Fleurity, Malphas, Nybbas, and Sa
minga.
As of October 7, this MUSH is actively looking for new players; all
character types are accepted. The address is swing.erisian.net, port 2323. The administrator is Ben Pollack, AKA Fidelity.
In Nomine fans are encouraged to check this out!
October 8, 2000: Looking For an Anime Artist
If you know anime and can illustrate like a "Manga Master," we may have some work for you. We are not ready to announce the project yet . . . it's a high-profile deal that will launch in 2001. For more info, write to our Art Director, Phil Reed, at phil@sjgames.com. For fast response, include URLs or attach files so he can see your work. And no, he won't tell you what the project is until you sign a contract. It's a seeeeeee-cret.
PS: Nobody bought the Stegosaurus. Is art completely dead?
-- Steve Jackson
October 7, 2000: Attack Of The Space Fungus
It's true. It's happening right now. Above us, in orbit, growing, feeding, mutating . . . See the Boston Globe story.
October 6, 2000: Stegosaur For Sale
A few weeks ago, I wrote about Henry Lim's Lego Stegosaurus sculpture. Well, he's put it on Ebay. As I write, the price is at $1,000, with no bids yet -
- and he estimates shipping at $1,500 or so -- but still, when you consider what this would be worth as a museum exhibit . . .
I am already violently jealous of the eventual buyer.
October 6, 2000: Air-tight. Iron-Clad. Non-Refundable
"The more you lie," quoth Mark Twain, "the more you have to remember." Grease Ace Alibi's palms and they will, as another little-known writer offered, remember it for you wholesale. Surprise parties, illicit liai
sons, family reunions, name your burr and they'll offer relief in the form of an elaborate and well-documented alibi that will fool anyone.
-- Suggested by Caio Gracco P. Dias
October 5, 2000: The Latest Chapter In Our Increasingly Complex Story
Apple update: The drive was recovered with about 99% success - which is a good number - and I have received the check from Apple to cover recovery costs. I think that wraps up that plot thread.
Mouse update: These mice don't seem to be interested in peanut butter, and they escape from small glue traps. But they don't escape from big ones. I don't know if they're all gone, but I can now go into the garage without hearing the skittering<
/I>.
Job opening update: We posted another one on the jobs page – for metal casting machine operator.
-- Steve Jackson
October 4, 2000: More Job Openings
The miniatures project means we have to add a full-time Assembly Supervisor, and we are about to need a new Warehouse 23 Manager as well. See our Jobs pa
ge for the full descriptions.
Biocomputers and Black Holes
Biochips are no longer the stuff of science fiction: read the New Scientist story, and follow the link to an idea that's (fortunately?) still speculation.
October 3, 2000: Knightmare Nightmare
Murphy strikes again . . . it turns out that on the latest reprint of Knightmare Chess, the printer made up thousands of beautiful boxes and filled them with sets of Knightmare Chess 2 cards. Okay, we
'll see how long it takes them to reprint . . .
It's so much FUN being a publisher!
-- Steve Jackson
October 2, 2000: Rumor Control
Judging from my e-mail today, yesterday's posting about the GURPS Traveller editor job opening spawned a misconception. No, Loren is not leaving us! The new editor will be working closely with Loren. We are planning more <
A HREF="/gurps/traveller/">Traveller-related releases for 2001, and we need another full-time person specifically devoted to the line. Among other benefits, this will give Loren more time to WRITE.
-- Steve Jackson
October 1, 2000: Traveller Editor Wanted
We are looking for a full-time editor for the GURPS Traveller line. If you are terrifyingly literate, and if you eat, sleep and breathe all things Traveller, check out the actual job solicitation.
Past columns
|
 |
|
 |
Top of Page | Home